The British couple killed in the Lisbon funicular crash have been remembered as ‘hugely talented’ members of the theatre community dedicated to ‘inspiring the next generation’.
Theatre director Kayleigh Smith, 36, and her partner Will Nelson, 44, a lecturer at Manchester’s Arden School of Theatre, were named as two of the three Britons who died after the popular tourist attraction derailed in the centre of the Portuguese city on Wednesday night.
The third British victim, who is said to be an 82-year-old man, has yet to be named.
To add to the tragedy, it has been revealed by Portuguese news outlets on Saturday that Mr Nelson may have initially been mistaken for the German father of a three-year-old child, who were both riding the funicular along with his wife at the time.
The man, who has not been named, was initially declared dead, but it was confirmed on Friday he had been found recovering in hospital.
At the time of the crash, which unfolded just after 6pm local time on September 3, Brit Mr Nelson had been wearing a German Schalke 04 football shirt, after arriving in the city with his partner just the day before.
The Gelsenkirchen-based football club, Germany’s third-largest, currently plays in the country’s second-tier league following relegation from the Bundesliga in the 2022-23 season.
Paper Correio da Manha said: ‘The fact Mr Wilson was wearing a Schalke 04 football top could have led to the error in the identification of the bodies and him being taken for the father of the German three-year-old.’
Kayleigh Gillian Smith, 36, and her partner William Nelson, 44, were among the 16 people who tragically lost their lives in Wednesday evening’s accident
Operator Carris’s personnel inspect the wrecked Gloria funicular on September 4, 2025
Macclesfield MP Tim Roca paid tribute to Ms Smith and Mr Nelson on Saturday morning, saying: ‘I was deeply saddened to learn that two much-loved members of our Macclesfield community, Kayleigh Smith and her partner Will Nelson, were among those who lost their lives in Wednesday’s tragic funicular crash in Lisbon.
‘Kayleigh was a hugely talented theatre director at MADS Theatre, where she poured her creativity, energy and kindness into every production. The moving tribute from the MADS team says it all, she was a dear friend to so many and will be greatly missed.
‘Will, a lecturer at Manchester’s Arden School of Theatre, was equally dedicated to nurturing creativity and inspiring the next generation. I know his loss will be felt deeply by colleagues and students alike.
‘My heart goes out to Kayleigh and Will’s families, friends and the whole MADS Theatre family as they come to terms with this tragedy.’
Hours before the crash, Ms Smith posted pictures on Instagram of their first day in Lisbon with the caption: ‘Churches and castles, tiles and trams.’
MADS Theatre in Macclesfield posted a tribute on Friday night, saying: ‘It is with great sadness that we must acknowledge the death of Kayleigh Smith and her partner Will Nelson in the Lisbon funicular tragedy.
‘Kayleigh was a valued member of our society and made considerable contributions both to MADS and to drama in the North West. It is indeed a sad loss to all of us at the theatre.
‘Kayleigh was an award-winning director and an award-nominated actress. She also undertook multiple crew and front-of-house roles at MADS. She was a past vice-chair, membership secretary and head of tech, but above all that she was a dear friend to many and will be greatly missed.
At the time of the crash, which unfolded just after 6pm on September 3, Brit Mr Nelson had been wearing a German Schalke 04 football shirt
A drone view from Setember 4, 2025 shows the site of the accident after the funicular crash
The wreckage of the streetcar was taken into police custody. Picture date: September 5
Flowers and candles have been left by wellwishers close to the scene of the crash
Portugal’s President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (C-L), pays respects to the victims of the Gloria funicular accident
‘We wish to send our deepest condolences to both families and to respect their privacy at this sad time. Our thoughts are with them.’
A total of 16 people died in the crash. Also among the dead were five Portuguese nationals, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French, one Swiss and one Ukrainian.
A further 21 people were injured, including five seriously. No British nationals were among those injured.
A No 10 spokesman said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is ‘deeply saddened’ that three British nationals died.
‘His thoughts are with their families and those affected by this terrible incident,’ he said.
‘We stand united with Portugal during this difficult time.’
The Foreign Office said it is supporting the families of three British nationals who died in the incident.
The unnamed 46-year-old German national wrongly initially reported as dead is at Lisbon’s Sao Jose Hospital. His 45-year-old partner, who suffered multiple injuries in the tram crash but was today said to be ‘conscious and receiving visits’, is being treated at the city’s Santa Maria Hospital.
Excavations in the railway are pictured at the site of the Gloria funicular accident after the wreckage was removed in Lisbon on September 5
A drone view shows the site of the accident after Gloria Funicular railway car, a popular tourist attraction, derailed and crashed
His parents are understood to have flown from their home in Hamburg to comfort and care for their three-year-old grandchild.
Local reports say they only found out about the horror identification mix-up after they touched down in Lisbon and headed for the city’s Institute of Legal Medicine thinking they were about to have to ID their son’s body.
The Gloria funicular, which is 140-years-old, was packed with passengers when it came off the rails.
Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro described the incident as ‘one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past’.
Funiculars are a type of railway system that transport people up and down steep slopes.
The Gloria funicular features two separate yellow carriages which travel between Restauradores Square in central Lisbon and the Bairro Alto area, with journeys taking three minutes.
It is electrified and uses steel cables.
The derailment resulted in one of the carriages crashing into a building at a bend in a road. The wreckage has now been removed.
Sandra Coelho, from Portugal, worked at the largest charity in the country. Her life was sadly taken during the funicular crash on Wednesday evening
Andre Jorge Goncalves Marques was among the victims of Wednesday’s tragic incident
Pedro Trindade, a high school professor, was killed in the crash on September 3
Alda Matias, who worked at the Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Lisbon, was among the victims
Ana Lopes, who was born in Proença-a-Nova, also lost her life in the accident. She leaves behind a daughter
Details remain scant as to the exact cause of the accident. The Lisbon Firefighters Regiment said it was likely caused by a cable that came loose in the structure of the funicular.
But Carris, the company that operates the railway, said that ‘we cannot assume the problem lies with the cable’.
They insisted that the funicular had undergone its full maintenance checks last year, and been looked over just nine hours before the crash.
CEO Pedro de Brito Bogas said on Thursday that there were six technicians, supervised by three engineers, that were responsible for maintaining the elevator.
But Mr Bogas did not detail what the visual inspection on September 3 entailed, or say whether all the cables were tested when asked.
Chief police investigator Nelson Oliveira said a preliminary police report with a broader scope is expected within 45 days.
Lisbon hosts around 8.5 million tourists last year, and long lines of people typically form for the streetcar’s short and picturesque trip a few hundred meters up and down a city street.
Hundreds of people attended a somber Mass Thursday evening at Lisbon’s Church of Saint Dominic to honour the dead and injured.
