Victims and families affected by the derailment of the Glória elevator, which occurred on September 3, 2025, and caused 16 deaths and 24 injuries, revealed, in an open letter, that they feel "forgotten" by the Lisbon City Council over the past year. The accident, which mostly affected foreign tourists, led those affected to state that the pain has not yet disappeared and that over 12 months they received "only one direct communication" from the municipality: an invitation to the unveiling of the memorial.
In the open letter, written in English and addressed to the media, the victims emphasized that they are not asking for haste in the conclusions, but rather "communication, transparency, support and accountability." They reported that many families living outside Portugal never had direct contact from the Lisbon City Council beyond the invitation to the unveiling of the memorial, and criticized the fact that the invitation mentioned that journalists would not be present, feeling they "finally needed to be part of" the public conversation.
The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD), responded at the end of the ceremony for the unveiling of the memorial, located on Largo da Oliveirinha, next to Calçada da Glória, and composed of a 150-year-old olive tree surrounded by 16 limestone blocks with the names of the victims. Moedas stated that "the City Council was always present, is present and will always be present," considering the unveiling day a moment to "honor and show solidarity."
A year later, of the 40 compensation proceedings for families of the deceased and survivors, only four have been concluded, according to information from insurer Fidelidade. The investigations by the Bureau for the Prevention and Investigation of Accidents with Aircraft and Railway Accidents (GPIAAF) and the Public Prosecutor's Office into the causes and responsibilities of the accident are still ongoing, with conclusions expected "by the end of the first quarter of 2027."
