At least 15 dead after Lisbon streetcar derails and crashes

A streetcar that is one of Lisbon's big tourist attractions derailed and crashed yesterday, killing 15 people and injuring 18 others, emergency services in Portugal said.

- BARRY HATTON

One child is among the injured, while five people are in a serious condition, the National Institute for Medical Emergencies said in a statement. An unknown number of the injured are foreigners, it said.

The yellow-and-white streetcar, which goes up and down a steep downtown hill in tandem with one going the opposite way, was lying on its side on the narrow road that it travels along, television channels showed.

Its sides and top were partially crumpled, and it appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends. Several dozen emergency workers attended the scene but most stood down after about two hours.

Eyewitnesses told local media that the streetcar careened down the hill.