Tragic Farewell: Last-minute Decision Saves Woman from Fatal Funicular Crash in Lisbon

Mon Sep 15 2025 14:47:46 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a heartbreaking twist of fate, Sonia Silva narrowly escaped the Lisbon funicular crash that claimed the lives of 16 individuals, including her close colleague, during an evening commute.

Sonia Silva's normal commute was disrupted when a colleague requested her assistance with a task just moments before the devastating crash of the Glória funicular in Lisbon. The accident resulted in 16 fatalities, highlighting the vulnerability of everyday commuters and leaving behind a community in mourning. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has called it one of the biggest tragedies in recent Portuguese history as family and colleagues grapple with their loss.

As Sonia Silva prepared to leave work on Wednesday evening, she was asked by a colleague to help with a quick task. It meant she missed her regular funicular ride down the hill with a work friend on their commute home from the office in the centre of Lisbon. When she arrived at the stop a short while later, the funicular had crashed and her friend was dead.

When I got there, it was a tragedy, she said.

Sixteen people were killed on Wednesday evening in Lisbon when its iconic 140-year-old Glória funicular derailed and crashed into a building. The Portuguese prime minister has described it as one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history. Many of those killed were foreign nationals, including three British nationals whose identities have yet to be announced. Police report that five of the deceased were Portuguese, four of whom worked at the Santa Casa da Misericórdia charity located at the top of the hill.

A service was held on Friday to honor the workers lost in the crash, drawing a crowd of mourners to the church next door to their headquarters. As they left, colleagues cried and consoled one another as they tried to comprehend the magnitude of their loss.

Sonia had worked at the charity for eight years and had shared her daily commute with Sandra Coelho, who sadly perished in the accident. I can't express [how I feel] - it's very difficult. I am grateful but at the same time I'm very, very angry because my colleagues and lots of people died, she reflected through tears, her heart heavy with loss.

Reflecting on their daily ritual, Sonia described how she and Sandra would share whispers about work, their routines, and everyday life during their rides together. Now, those moments have forever eclipsed into sorrow.

Amidst an ongoing investigation into the crash's cause, speculation is rife among the community about its safety and maintenance. Many expressed their disbelief that such a trusted mode of transport could lead to tragedy. Sonia, disillusioned by the events, stated, I've told everyone I'm not going to use it anymore.
While the focus is on healing, the families of the victims are left mourning what could have been had fate taken a different path.