At least 15 people have been killed after a funicular carriage derailed in Lisbon, emergency services have said.
Another 18 people were injured. Footage from the site showed the tram-like funicular, which carries people up and down a hillside in the Portuguese capital, destroyed and emergency workers pulling people out of the wreckage.
Authorities would not identify the victims or disclose their nationalities, but said some foreign nationals were among the dead.
In a statement the president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, lamented the accident and expressed hope that authorities would soon establish the cause of the crash.
The line, which opened in 1885, connects Lisbon’s downtown area near the Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto (Upper Quarter), known for its vibrant nightlife.
It is operated by the municipal public transport company Carris.
Its two cars are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable with traction provided by electric motors on the cars.
The car at the bottom of the line was apparently undamaged, but CNN Portugal said passengers had to jump out of its windows when the incident happened.
The funicular, known as Gloria, can carry more than 40 people, seated and standing. It is commonly used by Lisbon residents.
Two carriages run parallel to each other as they shuttle up and down the hill for a few hundred metres.
It is classified as a national monument.
Lisbon hosted around 8.5 million tourists last year, and the funicular is a popular attraction.
– Associated Press and The Guardian