Two Quebecers identified as victims of fatal Lisbon funicular crash

Two Quebecers are among the victims of Wednesday’s funicular crash in Lisbon.

The Quebec government confirmed today the deaths of two public servants, André Bergeron and Blandine Daux. 

Quebec Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe offered his condolences to the loved ones of the two victims.

Portuguese authorities confirmed earlier today that two Canadians were among the 16 people killed in the crash. 

“I am saddened to confirm that two Canadians have been confirmed to be among those who died in the Lisbon streetcar crash,” Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, wrote on X. “Canada extends our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones as well as to all of those affected by this tragedy. Global Affairs Canada is providing consular services to the families of the Canadian victims to help them during this difficult time.”

Local police said five of the victims were from Portugal, three from the United Kingdom, two from Canada, two from South Korea, one from the United States, one from France, one from Switzerland, and one from Ukraine.

The Portuguese government’s Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations said that it has concluded its analysis of the wreckage and would issue a preliminary technical report on Friday. It wasn’t clear how revealing the report would be.

Lisbon hosted around 8.5 million tourists last year, and long lines of people typically form for the funicular’s short and picturesque trip a few hundred meters up and down a city street.

Steel cables harness the electric funicular and can carry more than 40 people. On Thursday, officials took photographs and pulled up cable from beneath the rails that climb one of the Portuguese capital’s steep hills.

Officials declined to comment on whether a faulty brake or a snapped cable may have prompted the descending funicular to careen into a building where the steep road bends.

With files from The Associated Press