Overview
- GPIAAF reports the counterbalanced cars lost their stabilizing force about six meters after departure when the linking cable disconnected.
- The downhill carriage derailed roughly 170 meters into the route at the start of a right-hand curve and struck building walls and street fixtures.
- The agency estimates the impact speed at about 60 km/h and says the entire sequence occurred in under 50 seconds.
- A scheduled visual inspection that morning detected no anomaly; investigators note the failure zone is not visible without dismantling and the cable had been in service 337 of a 600-day life.
- Authorities confirm 16 deaths, including five Portuguese and eleven foreign nationals, as technical and judicial investigations proceed.