‘Someone needs to answer for what happened’: Lisbon reacts to streetcar crash that killed 16

Residents recall smoke, screams and a mountain of bodies at site of ‘one of the biggest tragedies in our recent history’

António Azevedo was in central Lisbon early on Wednesday evening, waiting to gather enough tourists for a ride in his tuk-tuk, when he heard what sounded like dozens of glass containers being dropped into rubbish trucks.

The driver looked around Restauradores Square but saw no trucks, only smoke rising from the lower station of the Elevador da Glória funicular railway, 100 metres from where his vehicle was parked.