Hafsa Khalil<\/span>BBC News<\/span> and<\/span><\/p>\n George Wright<\/span>BBC News<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Theatre director Kayleigh Smith and her partner Will Nelson, a drama lecturer, have been named as British victims of the Lisbon funicular crash. <\/p>\n MADS Theatre in Macclesfield posted a tribute on Friday night acknowledging their deaths, writing that Ms Smith was “a dear friend to many and will be greatly missed”.<\/p>\n The Gl\u00f3ria funicular, a popular tourist attraction, derailed and crashed into a building on Wednesday, killing 16.<\/p>\n Nationals of Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, Ukraine, France and the US are also among the dead, police said.<\/p>\n A third British victim has yet to be named.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he is “deeply saddened” to hear that three British nationals died in the crash, Downing Street said.<\/p>\n “His thoughts are with their families and those affected by this terrible incident. We stand united with Portugal during this difficult time,” a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n It is not known what caused the crash. The capital’s public transport operator, Carris, said all funiculars would be inspected and that it had launched an independent investigation.<\/p>\n The 140-year-old carriage derailed at around 18:15 local time (17:15 GMT) near the city’s Avenida da Liberdade boulevard.<\/p>\n More than 60 rescue personnel raced to the scene to pull people from the wreckage.<\/p>\n Videos and images of the site showed an overturned, crumpled yellow carriage lying on the cobblestone street.<\/p>\n Portugal’s Prime Minister Lu\u00eds Montenegro called the crash “one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history” and a national day of mourning was declared.<\/p>\n Officials initially put the death toll at 17 but the number was revised down to 16.<\/p>\n A German citizen was believed to be among the dead but was later discovered to have been in hospital overnight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Carris said in a statement that it had complied with “all maintenance protocols”.<\/p>\n It said that general maintenance took place every four years and was last carried out in 2022.<\/p>\n “Everything was scrupulously respected,” company head Pedro Bogas said, adding that maintenance of the funiculars had been carried out by a contractor for the past 14 years.<\/p>\n A funicular is a type of railway system that allows travel up and down steep slopes. In Lisbon, they are a crucial means of navigating the city’s steep, cobbled streets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The city’s funicular railways – Gl\u00f3ria, Lavra, Bica and Gra\u00e7a – are a popular tourist attraction, as the bright yellow tram-like vehicles snake through the hilly streets.<\/p>\n Gl\u00f3ria was opened in 1885 and electrified three decades later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Instagram](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/daa9\/live\/a3ab8770-8afa-11f0-a556-2733d63187eb.jpg.webp\")
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