Tragic Cable Car Accident Near Naples Claims Four Lives
A tragic accident struck near the southern Italian coastal city of Naples on Thursday, April 17, when a cable car fell, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and leaving another person injured. Firefighters reported that a cable snapped while ferrying tourists from Castellammare di Stabia on the Gulf of Naples to Mount Faito, approximately three kilometers away.
Rescue efforts mobilized over 50 firefighters who worked diligently to recover the victims. While the bodies of the four deceased were retrieved, a fifth individual was successfully rescued and promptly transported to a local hospital. The fire department released a statement via Telegram confirming that this was the final casualty count from the unfortunate incident.
The accident involved two cabins; one carrying 16 passengers was near Castellammare, where individuals could be safely lowered to the ground. However, a second cabin was precariously suspended above a steep drop on Mount Faito, with fog complicating rescue operations and delay efforts.
The cable car system had just reopened for the summer season, having been shut down for inspections to ensure all safety measures were in place. Umberto de Gregorio, the head of the cable car company, emphasized that the facility met all required safety conditions prior to reopening and described the incident as an 'unimaginable, unforeseeable tragedy'.
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who was in Washington D.C. at the time, conveyed her heartfelt condolences to the victims' families through her office.
The cable car itself has a history dating back to 1952, and this isn't the first incident of its kind; a similar tragedy occurred in 1960, resulting in the loss of four lives. Additionally, in May 2021, another cable car crash in the Italian Alps near Lake Maggiore claimed 14 lives. In a separate incident in 1998, a U.S. fighter jet unintentionally severed a cable in the Dolomites, leading to the deaths of 20 individuals in a cable car.
As authorities begin their investigation into this latest tragedy, the community mourns the loss and reflects upon the need for stringent safety measures in tourism operations.
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