Spanish Tourist Among Eight Hospitalised In Lisbon After Two Trams Collide

A collision between two trams in the city of Lisbon this Thursday, August 17, resulted in 13 people suffering minor injuries.

The accident that occurred on Avenida 24 de Julho, near Cais do Sodré, included two children and a Spanish citizen who was taken to hospital, an INEM source confirmed to SIC Notícias.

At the time of the accident, the centre of the Portuguese capital was filled to the brim with tourists. The majority of those injured were believed to have been tourists.

Eight people were hospitalised

As confirmed by the INEM source, two children and six adults were hospitalised. The children were transferred to the city’s Santa Maria Hospital.

Of the rest, all adults, five were taken to São José Hospital, one to São Francisco Xavier and another refused to be transported to a hospital unit.

According to the Portuguese Civil Protection website, the incident happened shortly after 5 pm. A total of 37 operatives and 12 vehicles from the Lisbon Fire Brigade were subsequently deployed to the location to deal with the incident and help with the removal of the trams.

Several INEM vehicles were also involved in helping the victims, while the PSP took charge of the incident.

One of the vehicles involved in the accident had to be removed from the line after it became immobilised due to mechanical problems after the crash. Normal traffic finally resumed on Route 15 just after 9.15 pm.

An enquiry has been launched

Lisbon’s Tram operator Carris announced that it had opened an internal enquiry into the causes of the collision between the two trams.

‘As is usual in these circumstances, Carris has already activated the mechanisms for carrying out a rigorous internal enquiry in order to ascertain the causes of this incident’, said an official source from the company, as reported by sicnoticias.pt.

Lisbon’s yellow trams are one of the oldest and most emblematic symbols of the city. As a result, they are in high demand among the thousands of visitors that the city receives every year.