40th anniversary of the Alcafache accident

Ceremony was held in memory of the victims of the worst railway accident ever in Portugal.

On 14 September, a ceremony was held in memory of the victims of the worst railway accident ever in Portugal.

The ceremony was attended by numerous personalities, including General Ramalho Eanes, president of Portugal in 1985, the Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities, Emídio Sousa, the Chairman of CP, Pedro Moreira, the Director of CP, João Claro, local mayors and representatives of fire brigades.

To mark the 40th anniversary of this accident, a chapel with the image of Our Lady of the Emigrants was inaugurated at the site of the accident, and a bogie, produced in the Entroncamento workshops, was placed in the chapel, offered by CP as a symbol of life on the rails and the preservation of the railway's memory.

At the ceremony, Carlos Ramos, one of the survivors of the accident, gave an emotional account of the moments he experienced that day. General Ramalho Eanes made a point of being present, emphasising his concern to keep the memory of the accident alive.

At the end of the ceremony, António Luciano, Bishop of Viseu, celebrated Mass, where a word of comfort was passed on to the survivors and the victims' families.

Photo credit: Municipality of Alcafache