Cable car fell in Italy: nine dead, two seriously injured

A cable car cabin fell into the void this Sunday in Stresa. seaside resort on Lake Maggiore in Piedmont (northern Italy), with a balance of at least nine dead and two seriously injured, announced a spokesperson for the emergency services.

The two hospitalized victims are children, who were rushed to the Regina Margherita pediatric hospital in Turin, spokesman Walter Milan reported.

The cable car fell from a great height near the top of Stresa-Mottarone in the Piedmont region, Walter Milan, a head of the Alpine rescue service, told SkyTG24.

A photo taken by Italian firefighters showed the crushed remains of the cable car in a clearing next to a pine forest near the top of Mottarone Peak, overlooking Lake Maggiore.

In that area, the structure’s cables were particularly high above the ground, said Milan, a spokesperson for the Alpine Rescue Service. The cause of the accident has not been determined. The journey takes 20 minutes.

The spokesperson noted that the cable line had been renewed in 2016 and had recently reopened after coronavirus lockdowns forced cable cars across Italy to close.

Mottarone reaches a height of 1,491 meters and overlooks the picturesque lake and the surrounding Alps of the Italian region of Piedmont. The mountain has a small amusement park, Alpyland, which has a children’s roller coaster offering 360 degree views of the landscape. Many Italian ski areas have mountain biking and hiking trails that are popular in spring and summer.

Developing news