Funicular from Lisbon, the Italian tourist wounded: “Everything happened suddenly, when we heard the roar”

A sudden roar, the interrupted race and the anguish for tourists who crowd the center. The derailment of the Lisbon funicularthe elevador da Glória, one of the most famous in the Portuguese capital, caused at least 15 victims and 18 injured, of which five in very serious conditions. Among them too an Italian town, Fortunately, not seriously affected: he has A fracture in the armis not in danger of life.

The Italian assistance machine moved immediately. The embassy sent some officials to the scene, in close contact with Rome and with the crisis unit of the Farnesina. The Italian woman was identified and accompanied to hospital for care. To tell the dramatic moments was her, as reported Republic: «Everything happened suddenly, the funicular proceeded at a good speed, when we heard the roar».

According to the reconstruction provided by the Embassy, The cause of the disaster would be the breakdown of the cable that drives the car along the slope. However, the Portuguese authorities have maintained maximum reserve on the identity of the victims and wounded, making the work of verification and assistance to compatriots difficult. Many Italian families, in fact, had lost contact with relatives, tourists in the city, and launched reports to find them, in the hours following the accident.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke with the Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel, expressing “closeness and solidarity” on behalf of the Italian government.

“We are in shock”

Another direct testimony comes from Corriere della Serawho collected the words of Paola Landolfi, 52, from Salerno, in Erasmus Staff Training at the University of Lisbon. The woman, together with the thirteen -year -old son Giuseppe, was about to take the Lisbon funicular, but only for a case found herself a few meters from the disaster.

«We are in shock. I don’t know if I will be able to calm my son, “he said, remembering those moments. “I was ready to get in line to get the funicular. But as soon as we arrived at the starting point, we saw the firefighters arrive, police… the vehicle had just crashed on the building. We were blocked by the barriers, we saw that the bodies were brought out of the sheets … a terrible scene ».

Paola Landolfi explained that the trip to Lisbon was born as an opportunity for work training. In his free time she and the son visited the city. “Yes, there is the Hard Rock Café, I wanted to take my son Giuseppe who is 13 years old, and he is about to start the third grade: he could never imagine seeing that scene.”

The inevitable thought, looking at the fate touched: “If I had arrived a few minutes earlier, I could have been there too on that vehicle ».