Welsh Train Enthusiast Among Victims of Lisbon Funicular Crash
An 82-year-old man from Holyhead, Wales, has been identified as one of the British citizens who died in the Lisbon funicular crash last week. Andrew David Kenneth Young, a dedicated transport enthusiast, was among the 16 people killed when the Gloria Funicular derailed and collided with a building on Wednesday.
Mr. Young was known for his passion for heritage railways and tramways, travelling internationally to explore them.His family released a statement expressing their sorrow, noting: “It is indeed a comfort to his sons, their mother, and his brothers that his final moments were in pursuit of the hobby which gave him so much happiness.”
The family has requested privacy as they are being supported by specialist officers during this difficult time.
In total, three British nationals perished in the incident. Kayleigh Gillian Smith, 36, and her boyfriend William Nelson, 44, have also been named as victims. The crash resulted in the deaths of five Portuguese citizens, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French national, one Swiss citizen, and one Ukrainian, with an additional 22 people sustaining injuries.
Investigators believe a loose cable caused the funicular to lose control, accelerating down a steep incline before impacting a building with devastating force.Witnesses described the scene, with one telling Portuguese TV channel SIC that the funicular “crashed into a building with brutal force and fell apart like a cardboard box,” and another stating it was travelling “wholly out of control.”
Tributes are being paid to all those who lost their lives in the tragedy.