A video released Wednesday (16) by Italian television channel TG3 shows the moment of the fall of a tourist cable car in Stresa, in the north of the country, which left 14 people dead at the end of May. Only one five-year-old Israeli boy survived.
In the images from the security cameras, it is possible to see the moment when the cabin rises near the arrival of the station after one of the cables breaks, resulting in an uncontrolled descent until the cable car breaks off from the second wire and drops to a height of 15 meters – the impact with the ground is not visible. From another perspective, you see a local employee asking for help.
The accident with the attraction that went from Lake Maggiore to Mottarone mountain, 1490 meters high, occurred on the day Italy authorized the opening of tourist facilities across the peninsula, after months closure due to restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the tragedy could have been avoided if the cabin safety brakes, which had technical problems, had not been deactivated during maintenance. Authorities have ruled out an overload issue, as the cabins can carry more than 35 passengers.
The public prosecutor of Verbania, in the same province of Stresa, opened an investigation to find the causes of the accident. According to Corriere, Ferrovie del Mottarone owner Luigi Nerini, department manager Gabriele Tadini and plant operational manager Enrico Perocchi are under investigation for multiple homicides, serious injuries and disaster due to removal of security systems.
Among them, only Tadini is under house arrest.
Among the 14 dead were the Israeli boy’s mother, father, brother and great-grandparents, who accompanied him on the march. He left the hospital earlier this month after being admitted with a head injury and a fractured leg.