Lisbon, Sep 3 (AP) An electric streetcar that is one of Lisbon's landmarks and a big draw for tourists derailed Wednesday, killing and injuring an unspecified number of people, the Portuguese president's office said.
The statement on the presidential website did not say how many casualties there were. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa offered his condolence to families affected by what had happened.
An anonymous police source told TV channel CNN Portugal that three people were killed and at least 20 injured, some of them critically. Officials did not publicly confirm the reports.
The yellow-and-white streetcar, which goes up and down a steep downtown hill in tandem with one going the opposite way, was lying on its side on the narrow road that it travels along, Portuguese television channels showed.
Its sides and top were partially crumpled, and it appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends. Several dozen emergency workers were at the scene.
The cause of the accident was not immediately known, local media said. It reportedly occurred at the start of the evening rush hour, around 6 pm.
The streetcar, known as Gloria, can carry more than 40 people, seated and standing. It is commonly used by Lisbon residents.
The streetcar, technically called a funicular, is known as Elevador da Gloria. Two streetcars run parallel to each other as they shuttle up and down the hill on a curved, traffic-free road for a few hundred metres (yards).
It is classified as a national monument.
Lisbon hosted around 8.5 million tourists last year, and the streetcar is a popular attraction. (AP) SCY
SCY