Four deaths in the event of a crash of cable car in Italy

Tragic end of an excursion shortly before the Easter days: Four people died in the crash of a cable car near the Italian city of Naples. The gondola plunged near the village of Castellammare di Stabia on the way to a viewpoint after a cable was torn, as the Italian mountain rescue service announced.

The cable car leads to the more than 1100 meter high mountain Monte Faito, from which you usually have a look at the Gulf of Naples. The view was bad on this day due to dense fog. Why the cable tore shortly before reaching the mountain station still has to be clarified. The public prosecutor’s office is determined.

Cable car crashes in Italy near Naples: rescue work by fog makes it difficult

In the cabin that almost reached the summit, there were an employee of the regional operating company EAV and four tourists. One of the occupants got away with serious injuries. The authorities initially made no information about the identity of the fatalities.

More than a dozen other passengers were saved with ropes from other cabins of the railways, including several foreigners. Rescue helicopters were also on duty. The rescue work was made more difficult by the fog.

The mayor of Castellamare di Stabia, Luigi Vicinanza, reported at the scene of the accident that the train rope of the railway was torn due to unknown cause. The emergency brake in the valley worked, but obviously not the brake of the track up. The cabin just wanted to enter the mountain station.

Cable car in Italy had only been back in operation for a week

According to the mayor, the cable car had only been back in operation for a week after the winter break. Last year, more than 100,000 people drove, including many foreign tourists. Naples is one of the most visited cities in Italy.

The cable car on Monte Faito has been around since 1952. The journey usually takes almost ten minutes. In 1960 a fatal accident occurred there. At that time, four people died in the crash of a gondola, more than 30 were injured. In the summer of 2021, a cabin was stuck on the way down as a result of a power failure with 31 passengers. Nobody was injured. (dpa)