The Glória Elevator, one of Lisbon’s icons that connects Restauradores to Bairro Alto, derailed on September 3 (2025) in the late afternoon, near Avenida da Liberdade, causing an unprecedented tragedy in the capital.
The accident occurred at around 6.05 p.m., possibly when a cable came loose (causes still to be ascertained), causing the elevator to derail and topple over, crashing violently into the building opposite, next to the bend in the street.
Some patients are in a very serious condition in various hospitals in the Portuguese capital, despite all the efforts and extreme speed of the rescue teams on the scene, who in a few minutes allocated several operatives and several vehicles for immediate help.
Witnesses report that the vehicle plunged uncontrollably, crashing with “impressive” force and being completely destroyed.
The strongest hypothesis points to a sudden break in the cable as the cause of the accident, although the authorities point to the need for in-depth technical investigations.
All the accident figures
The tragic accident resulted in several deaths and injuries, both serious and minor, but it’s not just these figures that are important to know:
- When did the accident happen?
- September 3, 2025 at 18h05
- How many people were in the crashed carriage?
- 38 people, in a car with capacity for 42 people
- How many deaths and injuries were there?
- 16 confirmed dead (so far)
- 22 injured (9 still hospitalized)
- How old are the injured?
- Between 3 and 65 years old
- What are the nationalities of the fatalities?
- 5 Portuguese
- 2 South Koreans
- 2 Canadians
- 1 Swiss
- 1 North American
- 1 Ukrainian
- 1 German
- 3 victims remain unidentified
- How many Portuguese hospitals received the injured?
- 5: Hospital de São José, Hospital de Santa Maria; Hospital de São Francisco Xavier; Hospital de Cascais; and Hospital Amadora-Sintra
- How many facilities similar to the Elevador da Glória are there in Lisbon?
- 4, all of them suspended until further notice: the Elevador da Glória; the Elevador do Lavra; the Elevador da Bica; the Elevador da Graça; and the Elevador de Santa Justa.
- How far does the Elevador da Glória travel?
- It travels 275 meters, between Restauradores and Bairro Alto
- How often were these elevators serviced?
- General, every 4 years; interim, every 2 years; plus daily, weekly and monthly supervision
- How many days was it planned to change the safety cable on the Glória Elevator?
- In 263 days
- What is the current state of the carriages?
- Car No. 1 has been destroyed; No. 2 is unusable
- How many days of national mourning has Lisbon City Council and the Portuguese government decreed?
- 3 days of mourning decreed by the City Council (until September 6); 1 by the Government (September 4)
Other information
According to Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, two Spaniards who were injured in the derailment of the Elevador da Glória have already been discharged. He does not yet know if there are any other Spaniards among the fatalities of this tragic accident in Lisbon.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, as well as the Portuguese government, have already expressed their “deep regret for the accident and the victims” and have guaranteed to closely monitor the situation.
The Elevador da Glória was inaugurated in 1885 and has been a National Monument since 2002, transporting millions of tourists and locals every year.
(News update)