The failure of a steel cable and maintenance flaws contributed to the crash of a streetcar in the Portuguese capital Lisbon last month that killed 16 people — including three from Canada — and injured 21 others, according to an official preliminary report published Monday.

The streetcar's derailment is one of Lisbon's worst tragedies in recent memory. The century-old streetcar, called a funicular because it travels up and down a steep hill in tandem with a second car, is a popular city tourist attraction.

The streetcar at the time hurtled down the hill before coming off the rails on a bend and smashing into a building, leaving the wooden cabin a crumpled wreckage. Police said that 11 of those killed were foreigners.

They included a couple from Quebec and a man from Ottawa .

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