Fourteen people have died and one child has survived following the cable car accident on Sunday
Some 14 people have been killed after a cable car fell to the ground on a mountainside in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy yesterday morning.
Only one out of a total of 15 passengers has survived.
A 5-year-old boy from Israel, who has been identified as Eitan Biran, is in hospital after suffering from broken bones. Biran was reportedly conscious as emergency services arrived at the scene, despite requiring surgery at a local children’s hospital in Turin, the Independent reported.
His parents, Amit Biran and Tal Peleg-Biran, sadly died in the cable car accident.
The cable car reportedly fell close to summit of the Mottarone mountain at about 12pm local time, according to Italy’s mountain rescue service.
The Mayor of Stresa, Marcella Severino, said that it appeared that the cable had broken, which sent the car spinning until it hit a pylon and plunged to the ground.
She added that the cable car then overturned “two or three times before hitting some trees.”
The mayor told SkyTG24: “It was a terrible, terrible scene.”
At least 13 people died when a cable car linking Italy's Lake Maggiore with a nearby mountain in the Alps plunged 20 meters to the ground, according to local officials and rescuers https://t.co/7piJrnUQVg pic.twitter.com/LaxTvGGZNz
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 23, 2021
The Italian government has already launched an investigation into the cause of the tragic incident and prosectors are looking to discover whether there is any criminal blame linked to the event.
Six of the victims who died are thought to be Israeli, while the others are Italian citizens, including one man who was born in Iran, according to Italian media.
The Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has offered his condolences to the victims’ families after Sunday’s tragedy.
He said: “I express condolences on behalf of the whole government to the families of the victims, with a special thought for the seriously injured children and their families.”
