Four killed after cable automotive crashes to floor in Naples | EUROtoday

Four individuals have been killed after a cable automotive’s traction cable snapped and the cabin fell to the bottom in southern Italy.

Four vacationers and an engineer have been on board the Monte Faito cable automotive when it plunged at “maximum speed” into woodland after hanging a pylon on Thursday afternoon.

A fifth one who was flung from the cabin was evacuated by helicopter in a severe situation.

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The accident occurred because the cable automotive was approaching the Monte Faito touchdown station, a peak round 45 kilometres (28 miles) south-east of Naples providing hikers views of Naples and Vesuvius.

The mayor of Castellammare di Stabia, Luigi Vicinanza advised reporters: “The traction cable broke, the emergency brake downstream worked but evidently not the one on the cabin that was entering the station on the top of Faito.”

The cable car had just reopened a week ago after being closed for winter, the mayor added.

Thick fog had surrounded the beauty spot at the time of the disaster and has been hindering rescue operations, local media reports suggest.

The governor of Campania told Rainews that the “two tourist couples” were in the cabin when disaster struck shortly after 3pm along the cableway that connects the city of Castellammare di Stabia in Naples with the summit.

16 passengers on board another cabin downstream were winched out and slid out of the dangling cable car on ropes, footage on Rai public television showed.

“We are dealing with a tragedy that leaves us breathless and speechless”, Angelo Lustro, basic secretary of the CGIL union mentioned.

Confirming the engineer as one of many victims, he added: “Now is the time for mourning and silence for the victims of this immense and absurd tragedy. Then the time will come to ascertain the causes and who is responsible.”

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Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli expressed his condolences to the victims, saying: “Monte Faito is a symbolic place. As a guardian of natural beauty to see it today the scene of such a tragedy saddens us deeply.

“Our most sincere thoughts go to the community affected and to all those who are facing the consequences of this tragedy.”

Firefighters spokesman Luca Cari gave an replace on the rescue to Italian broadcaster Rainews24: “At this moment, it is a matter of securing the fallen cabin to avoid further slips and jeopardising the safety of our firefighters who are operating downstream to search for a missing person.”

Vincenzo De Luca, the governor of Campania, advised Rainews: “The fog and dangerous climate are hindering operations nevertheless it might have been worse -many human lives have been saved. The firm advised us that upkeep had been carried out.

“It is probably going that the cabin descended at most velocity and hit the central pylons, now we should do all the things we will to assist the injured.

“The cable automotive had been closed for a few years, it was reactivated in 2017, and renovation work has been carried out”.