06/16/2021 5:21 PM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 06/16/2021 5:21 PM
Italian television released a video of the fatal fall of a cable car that left 14 dead on Sunday, May 23, where the towns of Stresa and Mottarone, in the northern region of Piedmont, meet.
In the footage you can see how the cabin slowly approaches the Mottarone arrival station, where 15 people were on board, including the little Eitan, five years old, the only survivor.
When it is about to reach its destination, the cable car turns backwards showing its "belly" and you can see how, due to the violence of the movement, no one can remain standing.
Immediately the cabin slides backwards faster and faster until it is seen
jumping into the void
.
The impact with the ground was not recorded by the cameras because it occurred behind the relief of the mountain.
The images were released by
Tg3
.
In the shot of the interior of the station, the manager can be seen waiting for the arrival of the cabin, raising his head for a moment, as if noticing that something was wrong.
Then
the cable breaks, the cabin falls, and the man runs for help
.
The accident
The dramatic accident of the cable car that connects the cities of Stresa and Mottarone in the Piedmont region occurred on May 23 and left 14 dead.
After offering a "final balance" of 13 deaths, rescue services announced shortly after that a nine-year-old boy could not overcome his injuries and died.
Eitan, the only survivor, suffered several fractures.
Six of the victims were Israeli nationals, including four members of a family living in Italy, Israel's Foreign Ministry reported.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi expressed his "deep sorrow" in a statement.
The Minister of Infrastructure, Enrico Giovanni, announced the creation of an investigation commission.
"It is a dramatic fact that we evaluate with the greatest attention," he said.
The president of the Piedmont region declared himself "devastated."
"It is a huge tragedy, which takes our breath away," reacted Alberto Cirio.
Three people were arrested for the
incident
,
including
Luigi Nerini
, 56, the owner of the company "Ferrovie del Mottarone" that runs the cable car.
The director and chief of operations of the cable car were also detained.
All are charged with intentional multiple homicide, negligent disaster and removal of tools to prevent workplace accidents, local media reported.
Days later they were released on parole.
The beneficiaries of the judicial measure reaches the person in charge of the cable car service,
Gabriele Tadini,
now under
house arrest
, who has assured investigators that "all the fault is his" and "now it is his turn to make peace with God."
Likewise, Tadini assured that "he never would have ever thought that the cable break could occur" that led to the tragedy.
Along with him, the owner of the company, Nerini, and the operational director,
Enrico Perocchio
, have also been accused
.
The popular tourist cable car connects the town of Stresa with Mount Mottarone in 20 minutes, which culminates at almost 1,500 meters and offers a spectacular view of the Alps and Lake Maggiore.
The cable car was closed between 2014 and 2016 for maintenance work.
Lake Maggiore, between Switzerland and Italy, is one of the most popular destinations for Italian and foreign tourists.
Background
Several fatal cable car, gondola or funicular accidents have occurred in the last 50 years in Europe.
The latest dates back to 5 September 2005, when an 800-kilogram block of cement fell off the helicopter carrying it and fell onto a cable car near Solden in Austrian Tyrol,
killing nine
German
skiers
.
In Italy, on February 3, 1998, a US military plane cut the cable of a cable car in Cavalese, a ski resort in the Dolomites, causing the
death of all 20 passengers in the cabin
.
Also in Cavalese, but more than 20 years earlier, in 1976, a cable break had caused a cabin to fall, leaving 42 fatalities.
LM
Look also
A court released the defendants for the fall of the cable car that caused 14 deaths in Italy
The drama of the child who survived the tragedy of the cable car in Italy: "Where is my mother?"