The Funchal cable car has been out of service since this morning. Some people were briefly trapped in the cabins, but were eventually evacuated.
Speaking to DIÁRIO, Ricardo Pinto Correia, chairman of the board of directors, explained that the cable car began operating normally in the morning, but that a malfunction in an electronic component caused a system failure, which forced the cable car to stop.
“We are now proceeding with the replacement of this component and performing a complete ‘reset’ of the system so that we can return to normal operation,” said the president, adding that if everything goes as planned, the cable car should be operating normally tomorrow.
Ricardo Pinto Correia also confirmed that some people were trapped inside the cabins “for a few minutes,” but added that “the auxiliary engine quickly started and the people were removed from the tracks.”
“Safety is our main concern and we will only open when everything is 100% ready,” he added.