DNA Breakthrough Narrows Unknowns in Lisbon’s Hill-Tram Disaster

The pace of work at Lisbon’s Institute of Legal Medicine quickened overnight. For foreigners following the story from cafés in Porto to co-working spaces in Faro, the takeaway is straightforward: investigators now believe they can formally name five additional people who died in Wednesday’s Ascensor da Glória derailment, a calamity that has already shaken confidence in Portugal’s beloved hill-climbing trams. A clearer picture of what happened—and who was lost—is finally coming into focus, even as safety audits ripple across the capital’s other funicular lines.

Investigation moves ahead

Police from the Polícia Judiciária confirmed just after dawn that DNA cross-checks give them “very high probability” on the identities of five more victims, though final confirmation still depends on family notification. This brings the tally to 13 positively matched names out of the 16 people who died when the century-old carriage jumped its track on 3 September. Officers working with the Gabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes Ferroviários spent much of Friday combing through the vehicle’s undercarriage while engineers isolated what they suspect is a sheared traction cable—the same type of failure that disabled Porto’s Guindais funicular in 2019, albeit without fatalities. A 45-day technical report is promised, but detectives already hint at “maintenance inconsistencies” in the logbooks seized from operator Carris. The company insists its last major overhaul in 2024 met every specification in Regulation 227/2012, pointing instead to an “unforeseeable metal fatigue event.” Whichever conclusion prevails will shape the legal responsibility debate and, potentially, civil-liability payouts for the families.

An international tragedy

Among the dead are citizens of eight countries, a reminder that Lisbon’s postcard-pretty transport doubles as a magnet for visitors. Police lists now include three Britons, two South Koreans, two Canadians, a Swiss national, an American, a Ukrainian and a Frenchwoman, in addition to five Portuguese locals. The most publicly mourned domestic victim is André Jorge Gonçalves Marques, the 34-year-old brakeman whose quick radio alert may have spared the downhill car from a worse fate. Tributes have also poured in for retired volleyball referee Pedro Manuel Alves Trindade and corporate lawyer Alda Matias, both regular commuters on the route between Restauradores and Jardim São Pedro de Alcântara. Meanwhile, nine injured passengers remain hospitalized across São José, Santa Maria and São Francisco Xavier hospitals; two are still in intensive care. Foreign embassies have dispatched consular staff to the wards, while the Canadian mission confirmed it is navigating “complex insurance questions” on behalf of relatives.

What to expect if you live or holiday in Lisbon

For residents and newcomers relying on Lisbon’s steep-grade transport, the aftermath means visible changes. City Hall has frozen operations not only on the Glória line but also on the Elevador da Bica and Lavra pending fresh structural tests. Expect replacement shuttle buses along Avenida da Liberdade and slower traffic near inspection zones. Engineers are deploying magnetic-particle scans on key suspension shafts, a method rarely showcased to the public but now livestreamed on the municipality’s website in a gesture of transparency. If you hold a Navegante pass, Carris says pro-rated credits will appear automatically once the network relaunches; tourists purchasing 24-hour tickets can request refunds at any Loja Carris kiosk. Insurance experts warn that standard travel policies sometimes exclude historic railways, so expatriates entertaining visiting family should verify coverage before booking novelty rides elsewhere in the country, such as the Bom Jesus funicular in Braga or the coastal Nazaré Ascensor.

Support lines and consular guidance

Interpreting Portuguese bureaucracy can be daunting, but officials promise multilingual assistance. A dedicated helpline—+351 211 947 000—operates from 08:00-22:00 with staff fluent in English, French and Korean. Families seeking personal effects recovered from the scene must schedule pick-ups at the Judicial Police headquarters in Carnide; passports can be expedited through a fast-track lane set up by the Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras. Mental-health NGO Linha Voz Amiga has extended its counselling sessions to foreigners, and private insurer Médis confirmed that emergency psychotherapy is billable under most expatriate policies. Local volunteer hub Lisboa Acolhe is collecting handwritten condolence cards destined for embassies—a small yet meaningful gesture if you wish to participate.

Looking forward: regulation and rebuild

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro labelled the crash “one of the gravest human tragedies of recent Portuguese memory” and proclaimed national mourning for Thursday, a move that saw black ribbons fluttering on public buses across the Algarve. In legislative corridors, lawmakers from the PS and PSD parties are drafting amendments that would tighten the inspection calendar for heritage transport, possibly mandating third-party audits rather than operator self-certification. Insurance ceilings are also under review; current law caps payouts at €15 M per incident, a figure critics say is inadequate for multi-national casualty events. Meanwhile, heritage advocates argue the mechanical soul of the Glória line must be preserved. Carris floats the idea of a modern chassis under vintage wood panelling, mirroring upgrades already completed on the Sintra tramway. Whether foreigners will step back onto the revamped cars with the same carefree delight remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the story of Lisbon’s funiculars has entered a new, more cautious chapter.