The horror Lisbon funicular derailment that killed three Brits was caused when a cable snapped, a preliminary report on the shocking incident has found.

The early official report from Portuguese authorities has concluded that the funicular carriages "suddenly lost the balancing force" of a connecting cable before the crash on Wednesday. At the time, the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft Accidents and Railway Accidents found, the iconic transport had travelled no further than six metres.

It adds that the imbalance quickly addressed by the brakeman, who immediately activated both the pneumatic and manual brakes. Unfortunately, the move had "no effect", the report found, and the carriage accelerated to around 60kmph (around 30mph) before crashing and killing more tha

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