One Instructor Killed in Lisbon Funicular Crash
LISBON, Portugal — On Wednesday, a crash involving the Elevador da Glória funicular railway claimed the life of a College of Charleston instructor among 16 fatalities, authorities confirmed on Friday.
Heather Hall, a faculty member in the Department of Teacher Education, was the sole American victim in the incident, which also injured 21 others. The deceased included five Portuguese citizens, two South Koreans, one Swiss, three British citizens, two Canadians, one French, and one Ukrainian, according to police reports.
Hall was attending a conference in Lisbon, stated Fran Welch, dean of the School of Education. “This is a tragic loss for all of us,” Welch said, noting Hall’s dedication to special education and her involvement in student travel programs.
Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with one visitor, Becky Britton of Minnesota, saying, “It’s real. If it happened to us, our families would be devastated.”
Emergency officials reported that all victims were extracted from the wreckage within two hours, following a derailment at 6:01 p.m. local time. The funicular, a popular tourist attraction since 1885, connects Restauradores Square to Jardim de São Pedro de Alcântara.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident, with a preliminary report expected from the Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations.
— Adapted from The Associated Press