Four people have died and one other has been injured following a cable car collapse near the southern Italian city of Naples, according to firefighters.
Reports indicate that the cable broke on the line transporting tourists from Castellammare di Stabia, located on the Gulf of Naples, to Monte Faito, approximately 3 km away.
The fire department confirmed the grim discovery, stating, “Four lifeless bodies were found, while a fifth injured person was rescued and transported to the hospital.” This marks the final toll, according to a post on Telegram.
More than 50 firefighters were involved in the rescue operation. The cabin, carrying 16 passengers, was located near Castellammare di Stabia, and was safely lowered to the ground. However, a second cabin, situated above a cliff on Monte Faito, faced difficulties due to fog, delaying the rescue.
The cable car had recently reopened for the summer season, and authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. Umberto de Gregorio, head of the cable car company, assured that the system met all required safety standards before reopening, stating, “The cable car reopened just ten days ago with all the necessary safety measures in place.” He added, “What happened today is an unimaginable, unforeseeable tragedy.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, currently in Washington, has expressed her sincere condolences to the families of the victims.
The cable car has been in operation since 1952, and this is not the first fatal incident. A similar disaster in 1960 also claimed four lives. Additionally, a tragic cable car accident in the Italian Alps near Lake Maggiore in May 2021 resulted in 14 fatalities, and another in 1998 saw 20 people killed when a US fighter jet severed a cable in the Dolomites.
