Portuguese officials investigating Wednesday's deadly funicular crash in Lisbon say a cable along the railway's route snapped, but the rest of the mechanism was functioning properly.
After examining the wreckage at the site, it was immediately determined that the cable connecting the two carriages had given way, according to a statement by the national transport safety office.
The brakeman tried to apply emergency brakes but failed to prevent the derailment, the investigators add.
Sixteen people died and about 20 were injured when the upper carriage of the iconic yellow Glória funicular railway crashed into a building.
Five of those killed were Portuguese along with three Britons, two South Koreans, two Canadians, an American, a Ukrainian, a Swiss and a French national, police said.
The 140-year-old funicular is designed to travel up and down Lisbon's steep slopes, and is an important form of transport for the city's residents - and a popular tourist attraction.
Although the brakeman activated the pneumatic brakes and a manual brake when the cable came loose, it is not clear whether another automatic brake came on as it was supposed to. The report indicates the carriage was travelling at approximately 60km/h (37mph) when it struck the building.
The seven-page statement additionally notes that the failed cable had been operational for only 337 days, out of its expected 600-day lifespan. The total number of passengers on board the carriage at the time of the crash remains unclear, as does the number of pedestrians present on the street.
Out of the injured, six were admitted to intensive care, while three sustained minor injuries. Authorities clarify they have not yet reached 'valid conclusions' regarding the crash and will issue a preliminary report within 45 days. Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro characterized the incident as 'one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past.'
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