Two Quebecers identified among 16 dead in Lisbon funicular crash

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

Two Quebec archeologists were among 16 people killed in Wednesday’s funicular crash in Lisbon, the Quebec government has confirmed.

André Bergeron and Blandine Daux were a couple and had worked as part of a specialized team of archeologists in Quebec’s Culture Department, restoring historical artifacts. Bergeron retired from the Centre de conservation du Québec in 2022.

“Quebec has lost two passionate people who dedicated their lives to preserving our archeological heritage,” Premier François Legault said on his X account. “My thoughts are with their loved ones.”

Portugal observed a national day of mourning on Thursday, a day after the capital’s worst disaster in recent history. The funicular, a popular tourist attraction, carries passengers up and down one of the city’s steep hills, past picturesque views.

The distinctive yellow-and-white Elevador da Gloria, which is classified as a national monument, was packed with locals and tourists on Wednesday evening when it came off its rails. Sixteen people were killed and 21 others were injured.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Friday that Global Affairs Canada is providing consular services to the families of the Canadian victims. “Canada extends our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones as well as to all of those affected by this tragedy,” Anand said in a statement.

Quebec’s Culture Department said Bergeron and Daux had made “remarkable contributions” to the province’s conservation centre. Bergeron, it added, was one of the centre’s pioneers, and “devoted more than 40 years to restoration before retiring … Blandine Daux joined the team in 2001.”

In an interview on Friday, Hélène Côté, an archeologist who knew the victims, said they were a couple and news of their deaths came as a shock. Bergeron “specialized in artifact conservation, and he was someone who was truly renowned in his field,” Côté said.

“They were people with whom it was really pleasant to work with,” Côté said, adding they were always ready to offer their expertise.

“They were generous people, both from a personal and professional point of view.”

Portuguese police said five of the victims were from Portugal, three from the United Kingdom, two from Canada, two from South Korea, one from the United States, one from France, one from Switzerland, and one from Ukraine. The French Foreign Ministry said Friday that Daux was a French-Canadian dual citizen.

The Portuguese government’s office for air and rail accident investigations said it has concluded its analysis of the wreckage. A preliminary technical report due Friday was postponed to Saturday because of a delay in official procedures. It wasn’t clear how revealing the report would be.

The Elevador da Gloria, technically called a funicular, is harnessed by steel cables, with the descending car helping with its weight to pull up the other one. It can carry more than 40 people, seated and standing. The service, up and down a hill on a curved, traffic-free road, was inaugurated in 1885. The streetcar that crashed had been in use since 1914.

With files from The Associated Press