The deadly tram accident in Lisbon on Wednesday evening was caused by a cable that connected two wagons to each other. This is apparent from The first research results from the Portuguese research body GPIAAF.
A visual inspection would have taken place on the morning before the crash, whereby no problems were found. The cable was designed to function for 600 days and was only in use for 337 days. The type of cable has been used for six years.
In the accident with the Elevador da Glória cable tram, fifteen people died on Wednesday. Eighteen people were also injured, five of whom seriously.
Velogue
The tram in which the victims were sitting was almost a slope when the cable rises and then suddenly drove down hard. The researchers report that the driver has tried in vain to brake with both the handbrake and the pneumatic brake.
The vehicle derailed 170 meters away in a bend and probably crashed at a speed of approximately 60 kilometers per hour. The entire incident lasted no longer than 50 seconds.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro called the accident “one of the greatest dramas in recent history.”
Read also
Lisbon mourns a fatal accident with iconic cable tram. How could it happen?