4 Tourists Killed As Cable Car Crashes Near Naples In Italy, PM Meloni Expresses Condolence

Four people were killed and one was seriously injured after a cable car crashed to the ground near Naples in southern Italy on Thursday. 

The cable snapped on the link ferrying tourists from the town of Castellammare di Stabia, on the Gulf of Naples, to Monte Faito, about three kilometres away, reported The Guardian. 

“Four lifeless bodies were found, while a fifth injured person was rescued and taken to hospital,” the fire department said in a Telegram post, adding that this was a final toll.

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An Israeli woman was among those killed in the mishap while another Israeli tourist was critically injured and receiving treatment at a hospital's intensive care unit, according to the Italian newspaper la Repubblica.

Two British tourists and the cable operator were the other three people killed in the accident. Identities of the deceased have not been made public.    

A search and rescue operation was launched following the accident which was hampered by fog and high winds, said Vicenzo De Luca, the head of the Campania region around Naples. 

The rescue efforts were joined by more than 50 firefighters. 

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Prosecutors Launch Probe 

According to the report, the cable car had just reopened for the summer season and prosecutors said they had launched an investigation into the accident. 

“The cable car reopened 10 days ago with all the required safety conditions,” said Umberto de Gregorio, the head of the cable car company. “What happened today is an unimaginable, unforeseeable tragedy.”

One cabin carrying 16 passengers was close to Castellammare and they were put down on firm ground. A second cabin was above a precipice on Mount Faito and og delayed the rescue effort.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — currently in the US to meet President Donald Trump — expressed "sincere condolences" to the families of the victims, said her office. 

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