Fagnano Olona - Fabio on vacation in Lisbon: "We rode the funicular a few hours before the accident" - - Varese News

He's on vacation with his partner in Lisbon, but Fabio, a resident of Fagnano Olona,'s stay in Lisbon has turned into an experience he'll never forget. On Wednesday, September 3, the historic Elevador da Gloria funicular derailed and crashed into a building on Rua da Glória, causing 17 deaths and over 20 injuries . Among them was an Italian woman with a broken arm, a child, and her pregnant mother, whose condition is not serious. Fabio and his partner had been on the Elevador da Gloria funicular just hours earlier. ( Photo taken by Fabio at the top )

" Our apartment is in the upper part of the city, and yesterday we took the funicular twice, both up and down, " says Fabio. "In the evening, we went out for an aperitif, and at a certain point, we started receiving calls from friends in Italy asking if we were okay. We didn't understand what was happening."

News of the accident, which arrived via text messages and calls, caught the couple off guard. Fabio and his partner immediately headed home, crossing a city that had suddenly shaken.

"When they told us the funicular had derailed, we rushed home. And there we saw what had happened. It was truly shocking," Fabio continues, "especially because we realized we could have been up there too, if it had happened a little earlier."

The Elevador da Gloria is one of Europe's most famous funiculars, in operation since 1885 and widely used by tourists to reach Bairro Alto, Lisbon's historic and scenic neighborhood . The vehicle connects the lower part of the city to one of its most characteristic areas in just a few minutes.

Portuguese authorities have opened an investigation to determine the cause of the derailment. Structural or mechanical problems related to the age of the train are currently suspected.

A day of mourning has been declared in Lisbon.