Tragically, four individuals lost their lives and another was injured when a cable car collapsed near Naples, Italy, according to firefighters.
Reports indicate that a cable snapped on the route transporting tourists from Castellammare di Stabia, located on the Gulf of Naples, to Monte Faito, approximately 3km away.
“Four deceased bodies were recovered, while a fifth injured person was rescued and transported to the hospital,” the fire department stated in a Telegram post, noting that this was the final count.
Passengers from a different cable car were seen being rescued during the incident.
More than 50 firefighters were involved in the rescue operations.
Fog hindered the rescue efforts for a second cabin that hung precariously over a cliff on Monte Faito, according to media reports.
The cable car had just resumed operations for the summer season, and authorities have announced the initiation of an investigation into the incident.
“The cable car reopened just ten days ago, adhering to all necessary safety standards,” stated Umberto de Gregorio, the head of the cable car company.
“What occurred today is a tragic event that was both unimaginable and unforeseen,” he added.
Italy’s Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, who was in Washington at the time, conveyed her “sincere condolences” to the families of those affected, as confirmed by her office.
The cable car service has been operating since 1952, and a similar accident in 1960 also resulted in four fatalities.
In May 2021, another cable car incident in the Italian Alps near Lake Maggiore led to the deaths of 14 individuals.
In 1998, a US fighter jet conducting a low-training flight severed a steel cable, resulting in the tragic deaths of 20 individuals in a cable car in the Dolomites.
