Italy cable car crash kills at least 14, including one child

Publish date: 2024-03-29

At least 14 people are dead — including a 9-year-old child — and a 5-year-old was seriously injured Sunday when a cable car crashed to the ground in northern Italy, officials said.

The horrific crash occurred on the Stresa-Mottarone cable car, which carries tourists and locals from the resort town of Stresa on Lake Maggiore to Mottarone mountain in the Alps.

It appears that a cable on the system broke — and the car then hit a pylon, fell to the ground, and overturned “two or three times before hitting some trees,” Stresa Mayor Marcella Severino said.

“It was a terrible, terrible scene,” she told Italy’s SkyTG24.

The fatal crash happened on the Stresa-Mottarone cable car, which carries tourists and locals. BBC
The children in the fatal wreck were later airlifted to the hospital for their injuries. BBC
A drove of first responders are seen at the site of the crash. BBC

Two kids, ages 5 and 9, were airlifted to a children’s hospital in the nearby northern city of Turin, the BBC reported.

The 9-year-old later died after several attempts to restart his heart and “there was nothing more we could do,” hospital spokesman Pier Paolo Berra said.

The 5-year-old underwent surgery for multiple fractures, the BBC said.

The cause of the crash is unclear, but officials said the cable car failed nearly 1,000 feet from the top of the mountain, the outlet reported.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi offered his condolences for the “tragic accident.”

“I express the condolences of the whole Government to the families of the victims, with special thought for the seriously injured children and their families,” he said in a statement.

The cable car service, which first opened in August 1970, is popular among tourists since it offers scenic views of Lake Maggiore and the surrounding Alps.

It had undergone renovations in 2016 and only recently reopened following coronavirus lockdowns.

With Post Wires

ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3J7j25ma2tfnsGiuNhmmpqanJp6pK3RZpqrmaOdeqy1y6WqZqaZo7Jur9Giq6KbkaG5unnIp6GuqpWoerXDzmaaoaGcmb%2Bmuo4%3D