Cable Car Tragedy in Italy Claims Lives of Four Tourists

At least four individuals lost their lives in a tragic cable car accident on Monte Faito, Italy, with emergency responders facing challenges due to adverse weather.

In a heart-wrenching incident on Thursday afternoon, a cable car on Monte Faito, located south of Naples, fell and crashed down the mountainside, claiming the lives of at least four tourists. Reports indicate a fifth individual is currently in critical condition, as per Luca Cari, spokesperson for Italy's firefighters. The identities and nationalities of the deceased have not yet been disclosed, though one victim was identified as an employee of EAV, the transport company responsible for the cable car.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, led by prosecutors in Torre Annunziata, whose jurisdiction includes Castellammare di Stabia, the town where the wreck occurred. In a separate cable car incident, nine people found themselves stranded after the crash, but were later rescued by dedicated firefighters who utilized harnesses for a one-by-one evacuation.

Rescue operations faced significant challenges due to harsh weather, including high winds and fog. Vincenzo De Luca, the Campania Region governor, commented on the critical role the cable car plays in local tourism, offering panoramic views of the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius.

This incident is reminiscent of a 2021 cable car disaster in Piedmont, Italy, that resulted in 14 deaths, attributed to cable failure and brake malfunction. Earlier, a 1998 accident involving a U.S. military jet severing a ski lift cable in the Dolomites had claimed 20 lives, marking Italy's most tragic cable car incidents.

Umberto De Gregorio, chairman of EAV, referred to this latest accident as an “unimaginable and unpredictable tragedy,” emphasizing that the cable car had resumed operations just ten days prior to the disaster as the tourist season began following its winter break.