Cable Car Crash In Italy, Investigators Focus On Two Things

Cable car accident in Italy. (Source: Alpine Rescue Service)

JAKARTA - Italian authorities are conducting an investigation related to a cable car crash in Northern Italy that killed 14 people on Sunday, May 23.

The horrific accident happened in Italy, when a cable car of 14 people was killed, including five Israelis, as well as a seriously injured child, falling and rolling on a steep slope on Sunday May 23, local time.

The Stresa-Mottarone cable car takes tourists and locals from the town on Lake Maggiore, almost 1,400 metres above sea level to the top of Mount Mottarone in 20 minutes.

All passengers of the cable car were killed, except for a 5-year-old Israeli boy. The child is in care at a children's hospital near Turin. He is in critical condition and suffers from a lot of bone damage.

Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation into the alleged murder and involuntary negligence. Investigators will focus on how the lead cable broke and why the safety brake mechanism failed to activate.

"We start from empirical evidence. The cable was disconnected and the safety brake system was clearly not working," public prosecutor Olimpia Bossi told Reuters Tuesday, May 25.

Initial reports said the cable pulling the cabin up the slope broke as the gondola neared the end of its 20-minute journey to the top of Mount Mottarone.

The braking mechanism on the second cable holding the cabin load failed to activate and the gondola slipped backwards before crashing into a pole and falling to the ground, where the train rolled before crashing into a tree.

Italian Transport and Infrastructure Minister Enrico Giovannini reviews the crash site on Monday, May 24. He announced he would form a commission to investigate Italy's worst cable car disaster since 1998.

At the time, 20 cable car passengers were killed by low-flying United States warplanes, accidentally cutting off the support cable that caused the train to crash.

"The government, as well as all institutions, are naturally committed to understanding the cause, to understanding what happened," Giovannini told reporters.

It is understood the cable car underwent massive maintenance work in 2014 and 2016. Routine checks were carried out in 2017 and last year by specialist technicians. Italian media reported that the cable that broke will only end its life and be replaced in 2029.

Meanwhile, the cabin can accommodate up to 40 people. But at the time of the accident, the cabin was filled with less than half due to coronavirus restrictions. The accident occurred after the cable car service opened last month, after a long stop due to the COVID-19 pandemic.