Tragic accident in Naples, cable car cable breaks, three dead and one missing

A tragic accident on the Monte Faito cable car, which crosses the city of Naples, has claimed the lives of three people, while a fourth is missing.

The serious accident occurred in Castellammare di Stabia when one of the cables of the Monte Faito cable car broke shortly after 3 p.m., leaving the two cabins suspended in the air. At the time, there were 16 people on board, including tourists and workers.

The cabin closest to the mountain station, with 5 people on board, then skidded and crashed into the first pillar. Three people died at the scene, one person is currently missing while another is believed to have escaped and injured, she has been taken to hospital.

Meanwhile, an investigation into the disaster has been opened by the Torre Annunziata Public Prosecutor's Office, which has placed the cable car under seizure.

The cable car had reopened just seven days ago after a winter break. The collapsed cabin was located by a firefighting helicopter after a search hampered by poor visibility due to thick fog.

At around 17:00, news came that communications had been lost and the cabin was believed to be suspended in the air. At 18:05, Umberto De Gregorio, president and CEO of Eav, Holding, published the news of the victims on social media.

Immediately after the tragic news was confirmed, the President of the Campania region, Vincenzo De Luca, went to the scene. Following the accident, the Castellammare di Stabia station was closed due to the interruption of the railway line between Pioppino and Sorrento, as the cable had fallen onto the tracks.

The Stabia Municipal Police have ordered precautionary measures to close the panoramic road at the top of the climb towards the Bourbon Palace of Quisisana.

The cable car in question was inaugurated in the summer of 1952. On August 15, 1960, the first and only fatal accident in its history occurred. The cabin that was making the descending section, at the height of the first pillar, broke away from the traction cables and ended up crashing into the railway tracks below it, taking the lives of 4 people at that time. (A2 Televizion)