Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro confirmed that 16 people were killed and five others seriously injured following the tragedy.

LISBON, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of a funicular derailing accident, which took place on Wednesday at one of the Portuguese capital's most famous tourist attractions, climbed to 16, with the number of the injured remaining at 21.

In a televised address to the nation on Thursday, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro confirmed that 16 people were killed and five others seriously injured following the tragedy.

Montenegro described the accident as "one of the greatest human tragedies in our recent history" and expressed "deep sorrow and consternation in this difficult hour."

Earlier in the morning, Civil Protection had reported 17 fatalities from the accident, but has since corrected the figure.

Authorities said most of the injured have been identified, and foreign nationals are among the dead. The Chinese Embassy in Portugal told Xinhua that no Chinese nationals have been confirmed among the victims so far.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, with multiple inquiries launched by relevant authorities. The Lisbon City Council has suspended the operation of all similar funiculars in the city and ordered technical inspections.

Local media reported that Carris, the funicular's operator, had outsourced its maintenance to cut costs.

The funicular's maintenance contract, previously held by the company MAIN, expired at the end of August, while a planned new tender was canceled in the same month, raising concerns about maintenance safeguards.

Carris responded that all maintenance work had been duly carried out and all tendering procedures updated.

The Portuguese government declared Thursday a national day of mourning, while the Lisbon City Council announced a three-day citywide mourning period.

According to the National Statistics Institute, Portugal's tourism sector contributed 34 billion euros (39.22 billion U.S. dollars) to the national economy in 2024, representing 11.9 percent of gross domestic product.  ■