Israeli tourist among 4 killed in cable car crash near Naples

Four people were killed and one critically injured Thursday when a cable car cabin plunged after a support cable snapped on the Monte Faito line, about 45 kilometres south of Naples, officials said. The accident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. local time on the reopened tourist line, which had resumed operations last week following its winter closure. According to the Italian daily La Repubblica, the cabin was “almost at the station” when the cable gave way, causing it to descend rapidly for several metres before crashing into a support pillar. Among the dead was an Israeli woman whose partner, also Israeli, was seriously wounded and remains in intensive care at a nearby hospital. The other victims were two British tourists and an Italian crew member. The injured Israeli is the only survivor from the fallen cabin. A second cabin carrying 11 passengers also began to detach and sway between the support towers. Rescue teams reached it in time, secured it with ropes and evacuated all aboard without further injury. In total, 16 people—tourists and staff—were involved in the incident. Heavy fog at the time hampered the rescue operation, and contact with the second cabin was not reestablished until a helicopter located it two hours later. Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv La Repubblica notes that the Monte Faito cable car first opened in 1952. A similar accident in 1960 killed four people when a cabin detached and crashed. Major renovations took place from 1988 to 1990, and the line was closed again for upgrades from 2012 until its 2019 reopening with a single cabin. The tragedy comes nearly four years after a cable car collapse above Lake Maggiore near Stresa in May 2021 that claimed 14 lives. Among those killed were five members of an Israeli family: Amit Biran (30) his wife, Tal Peleg-Biran (26) their son, Tom (2) Tal’s grandfather, Itzhak “Easy” Cohen (81) and Cohen’s wife, Barbara Koninski Cohen (71). Their son, Eitan Biran (5), was the lone survivor and suffered serious injuries his subsequent custody battle has drawn sustained media attention. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Telegram >>