An American who died in Lisbon’s deadly funicular crash has been identified as Heather Hall, a mother of two and college teacher who was visiting Portugal from the US state of South Carolina.

An instructor at the College of Charleston, Ms Hall was among the 16 people who died when the Glória funicular crashed into a building on Wednesday. She was the only American killed in the accident.

Her family said Ms Hall “passed away doing what she did best — living life fully, boldly, and with a heart wide open to the world”.

She worked as an instructor who specialised in literacy and special education and was in Lisbon to speak at a conference, the College of Charleston said in a statement.

Her family said Ms Hall was a first-generation college graduate who returned to her alma mater as a teacher where she was passionate about “creating inclusive spaces for children and adults with disabilities”.

She served on Charleston’s disability board and was a “tireless advocate for equity, representation, and belonging,” her family said, describing her as a person who developed “soul-deep connections” with her friends who felt “truly seen and cherished by her”.

Her family said her biggest accomplishment, though, was her two children.

“She believed in them with all her heart and wanted nothing more than for them to live their lives fully,” her family said.

She was a Fulbright Scholar in Ghana, and loved to travel – including on study abroad trips with students in Italy and had planned trips to Iceland and Belize.

“This is a tragic loss for all of us,” Fran Welch, the College of Charleston’s Dean of the School of Education, said in a statement. “Her energy, kindness and student-centeredness will be deeply missed.”

Several colleagues and friends posted emotional tributes on social media.

Adam Jordan, an associate professor at the School of Education, said he would “often wonder if I was in The Matrix and [Ms Hall] was Neo”.

“She somehow was able to beat the system, operating outside of the algorithm,” he wrote on Facebook.

“There is no filling the void left by Heather’s passing. She was much too bright a star.”

Ms Hall “dedicated so much to the field of special education and to the lives of everyone she touched,” Melissa Negreiros, an assistant professor at the college wrote on Facebook. “We will always treasure the gift of knowing you.”

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of her death.

“Our hearts go out to her family, friends, colleagues, and students during this difficult time,” he wrote.

The city’s funicular railways – Glória, Lavra, Bica and Graça – are a popular tourist attraction, as the bright yellow tram-like vehicles snake through the hilly streets.

Portuguese officials investigating Wednesday’s deadly funicular crash in Lisbon say a cable along the railway’s route snapped, but the rest of the mechanism was functioning properly.

The brakeman tried to apply emergency brakes but failed to prevent the derailment, the investigators added.

Sixteen people died and about 20 were injured when the upper carriage of the Glória crashed.

Five of those killed were Portuguese along with three Britons, two South Koreans, two Canadians, an American, a Ukrainian, a Swiss and a French national, police said.

The 140-year-old funicular is designed to travel up and down Lisbon’s steep slopes, and is an important form of transport for the city’s residents – and a popular tourist attraction.