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A cable car has plummeted around 1,000 metres killing four of its passengers in a tragic incident near Naples, Italy (DW)
by Mick the Ram
Tragedy struck in southern Italy when a mountain cable car plunged over 1,000 metres into a valley below, killing four passengers and leaving a fifth person seriously injured.
Three of the dead are tourists, including an as yet unnamed British couple, plus an Israeli national; the fourth victim was the cable car’s driver.
The incident occurred near to the city of Naples, when the cabin was close to the top of Mount Faito and seemingly one of the supporting cables snapped.
The survivor was reported to be a “middle-aged” Israeli man and had been airlifted to the nearby Ospedale del Mare hospital in a critical condition after suffering multiple bone fractures, with officials also believing that a sixth individual remains unaccounted for.
A second cabin, which was on the line at the time and fortunately for those on board was approaching the bottom of the valley, was stuck for a time in mid-air, but the 16 people inside were rescued one-by-one and winched to safety using harnesses.
More than 50 firefighters took part in the recovery efforts, and a statement from them confirmed: “Four lifeless bodies were found, while a fifth injured person was rescued and taken to hospital”.
The president of the region, Vincenzo De Luca, said that poor weather conditions including fog, wind and rain had made it difficult for rescuers to access the area where the cabin had crashed.
Speaking on the tragic accident, Naples mayor Gaetano Manfredi said: “I express deep condolences, on behalf of the Metropolitan City of Naples and myself, for the victims of the tragedy that occurred this afternoon due to the collapse of the Faito cable car cabin.”
The mayor of Castellammare di Stabia – where the cable car was located – said it was believed that the emergency brake downstream had worked fine, but clearly not the one on the cabin that was about to reach the top of the hill; although he was quick to add that there had been regular safety checks on the cable car line which runs three kilometres from the town to the top of the mountain.
The company which runs the service, the EAV public transport firm, confirmed that the seasonal cable car had reopened just 10 days ago with all the required safety conditions. Their CEO, Umberto de Gregorio, said: “What happened today is an unimaginable, unforeseeable tragedy.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was on a trip to Washington meeting with President Donald Trump at the time of the incident, expressed her “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims and said she was in touch with rescuers.
The Monte Faito cable car has been operating since 1952 and connects the historic town of Castellammare di Stabia with the top of the mountain. It is extremely popular for its views of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples.
The Torre Annunziata public prosecutor’s office has launched an immediate investigation into the disaster.
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