The father of the German child who was miraculously pulled alive from the wreckage of the cable car crash in Lisbon has been found alive – after his family had already been informed that he was likely dead, The Independent reported.  

Initially, local media reported that the German man had died in front of his son in the accident, which killed 17 people on September 3.

The family of the man from Hamburg went to the Institute of Forensic Medicine on September 4 to search for his body, but were unable to identify it. According to CNN Portugal, the relatives showed a photo of the man to a local police officer, who took them to Sao Jose Hospital. There he was found alive but "in very serious condition," a Portuguese police spokesman confirmed to The Independent.

According to the police, the body was initially mistaken for that of the German man because it matched the physical description given by the family.

"We did not say that this man was dead. We received information and indicated that there was a possibility that a German citizen was among the dead, but without final confirmation," the spokesman said.

After the man was found alive, a DNA test was performed, which showed that the deceased was not German. 

The boy's mother is in critical but stable condition at Santa Maria Hospital. The German Foreign Ministry told local media: "As far as the Federal Foreign Office is aware, there are currently no German citizens among the victims."

Three British nationals are among the 16 dead, Portuguese authorities said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of three compatriots.

The funicular, which runs along a steep line in the central part of the Portuguese capital, derailed and crashed shortly after 6 p.m. in the Avenida da Liberdade area, injuring at least 21 people. On September 5, the judicial police confirmed that the victims included citizens of Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, Ukraine, the United States, and France. | BGNES