The devastating cable car crash that took the lives of 16 people in Lisbon last Wednesday (September 3) has taken a turn no one saw coming: one of the victims believed to have passed away, leaving behind a rescued toddler, has now been found alive.
The German man, who was traveling with his wife and young son aboard the Glória Funicular when it derailed and slammed into a building, was initially thought to have sustained fatal injuries.
Highlights
- A German man believed to have lost his life in Lisbon’s tram crash was later found alive in critical condition.
- His toddler son had been rescued earlier, and his wife is now stable after being hospitalized.
- The tragedy has claimed 16 lives so far, but this family’s story has offered a rare moment of hope.
While his toddler was pulled from the mangled wreckage alive, and his wife was rushed to Santa Maria Hospital in critical condition, many thought they would have to deal with the trauma of losing their loved one.
Now, a physical examination has proven early reports to be false, bringing much needed hope to a tragedy that has shaken Portugal to its core.
A German man initially reported to have lost his life was later found alive, with both his son and wife also confirmed to be safe
Image credits: Horacio Villalobos/Getty Images
Local media initially reported that the man had lost his life in front of his son, leaving his family to endure the anguish of believing he was gone forever.
“We didn’t say that this person had passed away,” a Portuguese police spokesperson later clarified.
“We received information, and we pointed out that there was a possibility of one German citizen [being] lifeless, but with no total confirmation.”
Image credits: CBC News: The National
The confusion led the man’s family, who had flown in from Hamburg, to the city’s Institute of Forensic Medicine the next day in search of his body. But none of the corpses matched.
Image credits: CBC News: The National
Desperate, they showed a photo of the man to a local police officer who recognized him and took them straight to São José Hospital.
There, to their shock and relief, the man was found alive, battered and barely recognizable, but alive. As local media reported, he was receiving urgent treatment for multiple serious injuries.
Image credits: NBC News
Authorities quickly ordered a DNA test to confirm identities, which revealed that the body originally believed to be the German father was in fact someone else.
“The deceased man was not German,” police confirmed today (September 5).
An investigation is underway to determine the underlying causes of the tragic accident
Image credits: CBC News: The National
The crash itself remains under investigation.
As Bored Panda previously reported, around 6:05 pm on Wednesday, one of the cables reportedly snapped on Lisbon’s Glória Funicular: a historic streetcar popular among tourists.
Image credits: cooltrainspotting
The upper car hurtled down a steep incline near Restauradores Square, crashing at high speed into a hotel at the bottom.
“It didn’t have any kind of brakes,” recalled witness Teresa d’Avo, who watched the incident unfold. “It crashed into a building with brutal force and fell apart like a cardboard box.”
Image credits: Channel 4 News
According to experts, the funicular’s design, featuring heavy, rigid metal structures from an earlier era, combined with inadequate maintenance, made the accident inevitable.
Image credits: BBC News
Many passengers managed to survive by jumping through the tram’s windows in a panic. Witnesses said emergency teams arrived in under five minutes and quickly began pulling victims from the wreckage.
Nationals from at least seven countries were among those who lost their lives that day
Image credits: BBC News
So far, 16 people have been confirmed to have lost their lives in the crash, with 21 sustaining injuries.
Not all victims’ identities have been revealed, but it was confirmed by authorities that nationals of Portugal, Ukraine, South Korea, Canada, Switzerland, the US and France, were among those who lost their lives.
Image credits: Horacio Villalobos/Getty Images
Among those who have been identified are Andre Jorge Goncalves Marques, the tram’s brake guard; Pedro Manuel Alves Trindade, a former volleyball referee mourned by the Portuguese Volleyball Federation; and Alda Matias, a practicing lawyer.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro called the tragedy “one of the biggest human tragedies in our recent history.”
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also issued a statement after it was confirmed that three British nationals were among the deceased.
“His thoughts are with their families and those affected by this terrible incident. We stand united with Portugal during this difficult time,” a representative stated.
"Wishing them the best." Netizens were relieved to know the father is alive
