2 South Koreans among the victims of Lisbon funicular crash

This week we have been surprised by the accident of a funicular in Lisbon, apparently the wire broke and the carriage went downhill without control until it crashed into a wall. We were informed recently that among the 16 victims, there are 2 South Koreans (a man and a woman), who apparently cannot overcome the injuries. Also, there is another South Korean woman who was severely injured.

I have never been there, but this funicular goes through the old area of Lisbon, creating a very beautiful vibe for all the tourists who visit the city. This is really sad that people who make a lot of effort to spend some happy holidays in Europe, finish their lives like this.

According to the first reports, the funicular maintenance is outsourced, and that day, the funicular was reviewed and underwent maintenance. This case should be reviewed deeply and should take responsibility, as this is obvious that the maintenance was not good enough, if not it is impossible this kind of accident happen.

A funicular has only a wire, which is responsible for pushing the carriage uphill and preventing it from falling. This wire should resist several tons, much more than the effort that it should resist in a daily operation. Therefore should be impossible for it to break.

I am not an expert about these vehicles, but I guess that this could have happened because the wire of too old (maybe someone is cutting the material costs?) or could be overweight (should check how this is controlled). Or maybe the quality of that wire is not enough. Anyway, whatever the reason is, many lives were lost because of this absurd accident. This case should be investigated and its responsible party should face the consequences.

Source. The Korea Herald