Cable connecting cabins failed in deadly Lisbon streetcar crash, report finds

The first investigative report on the deadly derailment of a popular Portugal streetcar said Saturday that a cable connecting the two cabins essentially snapped.

LISBON, Portugal — The first investigative report on the deadly derailment of a popular Portugal streetcar said Saturday that a cable connecting the two cabins essentially snapped.

Wednesday's crash left 16 dead and injured 21 others. Officials called it one of Lisbon's worst tragedies in recent memory.

The report by the Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations released Saturday said the two cabins had traveled not more than about 20 feet when they suddenly lost the balancing force provided by the connecting cable, the report said.

The yellow-and-white streetcar is known as Elevador da Gloria and goes up and down a steep downtown hill. The cabin at the top sped downward.

"The cabin's brakeman immediately applied the pneumatic brake and the hand brake to try to halt the movement," the report said. "These actions had no effect in stopping or reducing the cabin's speed, and it continued accelerating down the slope."