A preliminary report into last month's funicular crash in Lisbon that killed 16 people including three British nationals has detailed a litany of failings.

Portugal's Air and Rail Accident Investigations Bureau stated that an underground cable, which acted as a counterweight between two carriages, broke and prompted the crash was defective and had never been certified for passenger transportation.

The report noted that the cable was acquired in 2022 by Carris, the company that manages Lisbon's public transport, and was not technically suitable.

The 140-year-old Glória funicular, a popular attraction for tourists, derailed and crashed into a building on September 3.

Among the deceased were 11 foreign nationals, including three British, while over 20 others were injured.

The preliminary report further revealed a lack of engineering oversight at Carris, highlighting that the cable was installed without prior testing.

Additionally, an outsourced maintenance company failed to properly supervise the funicular, allegedly clearing it for operation on the morning of the incident, although it is uncertain if this check occurred at all.

The report criticized the state body responsible for overseeing all Lisbon funiculars for not including the Glória in its coverage as required, adding to the issues.

The emergency brake system, which the driver attempted to activate when the cable snapped, was reportedly defective and had also not been tested beforehand.

Lisbon's mayor, Carlos Moedas, re-elected on October 12 despite accusations of negligence regarding the oversight of the city's funiculars, stated that the report indicated the disaster was due to technical and not political issues.

Carris has released a statement asserting that it cannot yet determine the relevance of the cable's deficiencies to the accident, noting that the same cables had been in service for 601 days without incident prior to the crash.

The company pointed out that although the cables were put into use by the current board of directors in May 2022, the acquisition process was initiated by the previous administration.

The complete report is expected to take approximately 11 months to finalize. In the meantime, all cable cars in Lisbon have been ordered to suspend operations until necessary safety checks are completed.