Authorities confirm that 14 people died after a cable car crash in the mountains of northern Italy. The lead cable snapped, sending the cabin back down the mountain and crashing to the ground. The horrifying incident raises questions about the safety of Italy’s infrastructure.
Only one survivor
Among those killed is a doctor who worked on the frontline during the Covid pandemic. An hour before plunging 65ft, Roberta Pistolato sent a message to her sister saying she was getting on the cable car. Roberta was out celebrating her 40th birthday with her boyfriend Angelo Gasparro, 45. Together with the other passengers they were enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Italian mountains, before the accident.
There is only one survivor, a 5 year old Israeli boy who lives in Italy. He remains in a Turin hospital in a serious condition with multiple broken bones. The boy is identified by the Israeli foreign ministry as Eitan Biran. He was travelling in the cable car with his Israeli born parents, Amit Biran and Tal Peleg-Biran, and his 2 year old brother Tom. They were joined by Peleg-Biran’s grandparents, Barbara and Yitzhak Cohen, who were in the country visiting. Tragically, the rest of the family all died at the scene. Etain’s auntie Aya is currently at his bedside, while other family members fly in from Israel to join them.
Safety of Italy’s transport infrastructure questioned
The disaster happened at Mottarone mountaintop which is one of the most picturesque spots in northern Italy. This makes the line extremely popular with both locals and tourists, and is used by large numbers of people every year. It reaches a height of nearly 5,000 feet, and overlooks several lakes and the surrounding Alps of the Piedmont region.
The incident has raised a lot of questions about the quality and safety of Italy’s transport infrastructure. Transport Minister Enrico Giovannini will visit the scene and begin an inquiry into the ‘technical and organisational causes’ of the accident.
Marcella Severino, the mayor of Stresa, recalls witnesses saying they heard a ‘loud hiss,’ when the cable snapped. The cabin reeled back down the line until hitting a pylon, and then plummeted down to the ground. Apparently it then rolled over a few times before crashing into trees. According to Ms Severino, some of the bodies were found among the trees after being thrown out from the car.
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