Italy has opened an investigation into the cause of a cable car accident on Sunday that left 14 people died. The cable car derailed and dropped roughly 65ft into the side of the Mottarone mountain in northern Italy. Thirteen of the victims died at the scene, including a two year old child. Two children aged nine and five were airlifted to a nearby hospital after sustaining critical injuries but the older one later passed away. Israel’s foreign ministry has announced that five Israeli nationals were among the dead. Prosecutors state that the investigation will determine whether the accident was due to negligence or involuntary homicide. Investigators are also looking into the operating comapny’s technical and maintenance documentation.
The cable car was in good condition prior to the accident and were not set to be replaced until 2029, according to local media. A spokesperson for Italy’s Alpine rescue service believes that the crash was a result of breakage of the cable and failure of the emergency brake. Another spokesperson stated that no emergency safety features were triggered during the crash, which should have been able to keep the cabin anchored despite machinery failures. The investigation will determine this abnormality as well.
Read More: Italy Investigates Cause of Mottarone Cable Car Crash
