ROME: At least four people were killed when a mountain cable car crashed into a ravine in the south of Naples, said an Italian official on Friday.
According to initial reports, a traction cable may have snapped as the cable car ascended Monte Faito, in the town of Castellammare di Stabia. The cable car fell into a ravine after stopping very close to the station at the top of the peak, at around 3,400 feet.
Sixteen passengers were safely rescued from another cable car that became stuck mid-air near the base of the mountain following the incident.
The accident occurred just a week after the cable car, known for its panoramic views of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples reopened for the season. It typically attracts around 110,000 visitors annually.
Emergency services, including Italy’s alpine rescue team, firefighters, police, and civil rescues, are working in the challenging weather conditions. Thick fog and strong winds are hampering rescue efforts.
“The traction cable broke. The emergency brake downstream worked, but not the one on the cabin that was entering the station,” Luigi Vicinanza, the mayor of Castellammare di Stabia, said.
“The reopening had taken place a week ago after three months of tests every day, day and night,” said EAV President Umberto De Gregorio. “This is something inexplicable.”
The Monte Faito cable car has been in operation since 1952. In 1960, a tragic accident occurred when a support pylon collapsed, resulting in the deaths of four people.
Italy has experienced two other major cable car accidents in recent years. In May 2021, a cable car crash in northern Italy claimed the lives of 14 people. Another devastating incident took place in 1998, when a low-flying US military jet severed the cable of a ski lift in Cavalese, in the Dolomites, killing 20 people.
