At least 14 people died in a cable car tragedy in Italy
MILAN: At least 14 people have died and a child seriously injured from a cable car accident in Italy on Sunday, the Italian authorities said.
The accident happened when the cable car connecting Lake Maggiore and Mottarone mountain crashed. The Stresa-Mottarone cable car would take tourists and locals to the 1400-meter-high Mottarone mountain in 20 minutes.
Stresa’s mayor Marcella Severino said the cable car was falling from a height of 20 meters. Some were stuck in cars, while others were thrown into the woods.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Italian authorities had informed them that few Israeli citizens have also been killed.
The Italian alpine rescue service said the cable car crashed to the ground and two children were taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Turin by helicopter. According to hospital Director General Giovanni La Valle, the older child died after suffering two cardiac arrests, while the younger child was conscious when he arrived and was undergoing surgery to fix several fractures.
“Terrible moment”
The Stresa-Mottarone lift had only recently reopened as coronavirus restrictions were gradually lifted in Italy. “It’s a terrible moment for me and for our community and I think also for the whole of Italy. Especially now that we were just beginning to restart (after the pandemic),” Mayor Severino said.
The panoramic views of Lake Maggiore and its lovely islands, as well as the vision of the surrounding Alps, make the Mottarone mountain popular among tourists.
Stresa’s mayor Marcella Severino expressed deep sorrow over the incident. The mayor said that important maintenance work, including cable replacement, had been completed in recent years, and it was hard to believe the accident occurred.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
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