Fourteen people die in cable car crash in northern Italy
Children and Israeli nationals were among the fatalities, according to reports
A cable car service used to transport passengers from the resort town of Stresa up the nearby Mottarone mountain in the region of Piedmont fell and killed at least 14 people, including one child on 23 May. Another child has been seriously injured in the incident.
It is believed that 15 people were travelling in the cable car at the time of the incident – officials assert that most of the victims died at the crash site, but a spokesperson for the fire brigade said the death toll could rise. Local air medical rescue service National Alpine Speleological Rescue Corps asserted that while two survivors, children aged about five and nine, were airlifted to a hospital in Turin, the older child later died. They have since reported that the younger child is in critical condition.
Authorities investigate the cause of the crash
The incident occurred around 12.30 p.m. local time. The exact cause of the crash remains unclear, but local reports suggest that the cable may have failed about 300 metres from the top of the mountain. Mayor Severino told reporters that the car fell about 20 metres to the ground and rolled over down the slope before being stopped by trees.
Passengers that had travelled on the service about an hour before the crash were ‘shocked’ by the news as they say that the cable hadn’t ‘given any strange signals’.
An investigation has been launched into the incident. Media sources, including the BBC, have noted that the service, which can usually hold up to 40 passengers, had recently reopened following the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.
According to La Repubblica newspaper, the cables were not due to be replaced until 2029, and lawyer Ferrovie del Mottarone asserted that maintenance and checks had been carried out regularly.
Local public persecutor Olimpia Bossi insisted that investigations and technical checks were to be carried out in the coming days, while local police commander Lt Col Giorgio Santacroce was reported as saying that it would be necessary to understand why the safety devices have not been triggered, which should have kept the cabin anchored.
Commenting on the ‘tragic accident’, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, said: "I express the condolences of the whole government to the families of the victims, with a special thought for the seriously injured children and their families.”
In April of this year, a Russian tourist died in Turkey when a bus carrying a group of 32 Russian tourists crashed.