A mountaintop cable car plunged to the ground in northern Italy on Sunday, killing at least nine people and sending two children to the hospital.
Key points:
- The cable car collapsed on Mottarone Mountain near Lake Maggiore in Italy’s Piedmont region
- The line was renovated in 2016 and only recently reopened after coronavirus lockdowns
- The Stresa-Mottarone cable car takes tourists and locals from the famous town of Stresa to the mountain top in 20 minutes
A photo of the wreckage taken by Italy’s fire squad showed the crushed and crumpled remains of the cable car in a clearing of a thick patch of pine trees near the summit of the Mottarone peak overlooking Lake Maggiore, in the Piedmont region.
At that location, the cables of the ski lift were particularly high off the ground, said Walter Milan, spokesman for the Alpine rescue service.
The cause of the accident has not been determined.
“It is a very serious accident,” Mr Milan told Italian broadcaster RaiNews24 television.
Mr Milan noted that the cable line had been renovated in 2016 and had only recently reopened after coronavirus lockdowns forced the closures of ski lifts across Italy.
The Stresa-Mottarone cable car takes tourists and locals from the famous town of Stresa, on Lake Maggiore, to the top of the Mottarone mountain in 20 minutes.
Mottarone reaches a height of 1,491 meters and overlooks the picturesque lake and the surrounding Alps of Italy’s Piedmont region.
The mountain features a small amusement park, Alpyland, that has a children’s rollercoaster offering 360-degree views of the scenery.
Many Italian ski areas feature mountain bike paths and hiking trails that are popular in spring and summer.
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AP/Reuters
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