At least 14 people, including two children, were killed Sunday in northern Italy when a cable car popular among tourists fell 20 meters to the ground. A two-year-old child died instantly, and one nine-year-old died in the hospital after suffering two cardiac arrests. Another child, a five-year-old was seriously injured but conscious and speaking. He is being treated at the Regina Margherita children’s hospital in Turin. Some passengers were stuck inside the cabin while others were thrown out during the crash. About half the passengers were foreign nationals, Italian authorities said. The Italian ANSA news agency has published the names of the victims. The Stresa-Mottarone funicular travels between the resort town of Stresa on the shores of Lake Maggiore to the top of Mottarone mountain of Italy’s Piedmont region. The trip takes roughly 20 minutes. Images from the scene showed a crumped cable car on a slope overlooking the lake. Stresa Mayor Marcella Severino called it a “terrible, terrible scene,” and said the accident may have been caused by a ruptured cable and the emergency brake failed. Severino said the car overturned two or three times after crashing to the ground before being stopped by some trees. Some passengers were stuck inside the cabin while others were thrown out during the crash. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi offered his condolences to the victims “with a particular thought about the seriously injured children and their families.” The Italian government announced later Sunday that it would begin an investigation into the accident. The Stresa-Mottarone cable car was closed for repairs between 2014 and 2016. It only recently began operating after a hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. The cable car can typically carry about 40 passengers.
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