00:01Problems with a cable were the likely cause of a deadly funicular accident in Lisbon, according to a preliminary report.
00:08The yellow tram-like carriage hurtled down a steep hillside in Portugal's capital last week,
00:13killing at least 16 people and injuring another 22 when it crashed into a building.
00:19Portuguese Prime Minister Luiz Montenegro described the tragedy as one of the greatest in its recent history.
00:25The fatalities included 11 tourists visiting Lisbon.
00:29Sudhir Agrawal, a tourist from the U.S., spoke to Reuters in the city on Friday.
00:35The accidents do happen. I mean, nobody plans it.
00:38It could be anywhere. It could be New York, for that matter.
00:41That is, I'm not going to stop going to New York.
00:44Portugal's Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations released its first investigative report into the crash on Saturday.
00:51The report said the cabins had traveled about 20 feet when they, quote,
00:54suddenly lost the balancing force provided by the cable connecting them.
00:58The report also added that efforts to pull the brakes inside the cabin that ultimately accelerated downhill had no effect.
01:05An examination of the wreckage showed that the connecting cable had given way at the attachment point to the cabin at the top of the hill.
01:12A final report is forthcoming.
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