:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/5c7be04a-bbcc-11eb-98ab-0218eaf05005.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
According to Italian media, the cabin collapsed around 1 p.m. and was hanging at a ‘relatively high point’ at that time. It is unclear exactly how many people were on board. It is about the Stresa Mottarone cable car on the west side of the lake. The cable car takes passengers from Lake Maggiore up to a height of 1,492 meters in a ride that takes approximately 20 minutes. It would have gone horribly wrong 300 meters before the highest point.
Ⓒ Hollandse Heights / Splash News
—
Archive photo of the cable car in question in the north of Italy.
Ⓒ flickr
—
Two children were taken to hospital in Turin by ambulance helicopter. According to the newspaper Corriere della Sera The rescue efforts are complicated by the fact that the cabin fell in a wooded area. “The cabin is almost completely destroyed,” says a rescue worker.
It is not yet clear how the accident could have happened, the Italian newspaper The Republic speaks of “a possible failure of the cable.” The track had just reopened after a tourist stop due to the corona virus.
Two fire brigades work together to rescue or recover the victims. A helicopter was also used for this.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has heard the news of the accident “with great sadness”. He offered his condolences to the families of the victims and said his thoughts are with the injured children.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that there were no Dutch people in the cabin.
The Italian government has set in motion the first steps to set up an inquiry commission. He will investigate the controls that have been carried out on the cable car in the past, says Minister of Infrastructure Enrico Giovannini.
Tips or on the spot? Mail news [email protected]
–
Lunch Update
An update of the most important news every day during lunch.
Invalid email address. Please fill in again.
read here our privacy policy.
—
