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The cause of the Lisbon Funicular crash, which killed 16 people and injured 21 others, has been revealed in a new report into the incident.
An official preliminary report published on Monday said a steel cable failure and other maintenance lapses caused the accident on Wednesday, September 3.
The streetcar derailment is one of Lisbon’s worst tragedies in recent memory.
The centuries-old streetcar, called the funicular because it travels down a steep hill in tandem with another car, is a popular city tourist attraction.
In the tragic incident, the streetcar slid down a hill, collapsing a wooden cabin, before derailing at a turn and colliding with a building.
Police said that 11 of those killed were foreigners.
The Office of Air and Rail Accident Prevention and Investigation, a government agency, said in the report that the underground steel haulage cable, which connected the two cars and balanced their weight, was not strong enough for the job.
According to the report, it was not certified for public transportation nor installed as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
The cable was in use for less than a year.
The report said the investigation identified five instances when the maintenance program referred to “non-existent, inappropriate or outdated standards”.
After the cable broke, the safety systems cut off power to the streetcar, meaning the pneumatic brake no longer worked and the manual brake was not strong enough to stop the car from rolling down the hill.
The investigation is also looking at whether the streetcar brakes need improvements.
The investigating body said the preliminary report is not intended to determine liability or establish blame.
A fuller and more detailed final report is expected next year as a result of a thorough analysis of the accident.