American college professor on work trip to Portugal killed in Lisbon funicular disaster that left 16 dead
Family’s moving tribute to American funicular crash victim
- An American college professor, Heather Hall, was among 16 people killed when the Gloria funicular derailed and crashed in Lisbon, Portugal.
- Hall, a mother-of-two who taught at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, was in Portugal for a conference at the time of the incident.
- Her family said she “passed away doing what she did best — living life fully, boldly, and with a heart wide open to the world.”
- The other deceased were five Portuguese nationals, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one French, one Swiss, one Ukrainian, and three British citizens.
- The 140-year-old Gloria funicular is Lisbon's most popular, and while the exact cause is unknown, Portuguese authorities have described the event as a "tragic accident".