- Four fatalities include three foreign tourists from Britain and Israel
- Traction cable snap caused emergency brake failure on popular Vesuvius route
- Prosecutors investigate possible manslaughter as 2021 Italian cable crash resurfaces
A catastrophic cable car system failure near Naples has reignited concerns about tourist transport safety in Italy. Emergency responders worked through Thursday night to rescue 16 stranded passengers after two cabins halted mid-air on Monte Faito. Initial reports indicate a severed traction cable caused one cabin to plummet 30 meters near Castellammare di Stabia station. The seasonal attraction had just resumed operations following three months of daily safety tests.
Italian authorities confirmed the identities of two foreign victims - a British national and an Israeli citizen - while working to notify relatives of the remaining casualties. A fifth critically injured tourist remains hospitalized in Naples. Firefighters used specialized climbing gear to evacuate passengers from the second stranded cabin, which hung precariously for eight hours before stabilization.
Transport operator EAV maintains the cable car met all safety certifications when reopening last week. We conducted 92 consecutive days of stress tests without incident,stated EAV President Umberto De Gregorio. Investigators are examining whether recent 65km/h winds contributed to the cable failure, alongside potential maintenance oversights.
This tragedy echoes Italy's deadliest modern cable car incident in May 2021, when 14 passengers died in a Stresa-Mottarone system collapse. Safety analysts note that 83% of Mediterranean cable cars exceed 25-year operational lifespans. The European Transport Safety Council reports cable system failures increased 17% since 2020, with aging infrastructure and climate extremes as primary factors.
Local officials face mounting pressure to explain why station brakes failed to engage the descending cabin. Mayor Luigi Vicinanza confirmed quarterly inspections occurred but revealed no redundancy systems for cable rupture scenarios. Tourism operators fear prolonged closures could cost the Campania region €4.2 million monthly in lost revenue.
Industry experts advocate for three critical reforms: mandatory secondary braking systems, real-time cable wear sensors, and annual stress tests for alpine transport networks. A 2023 Swiss study demonstrated that Doppler wind monitoring could prevent 38% of weather-related cable incidents through automated speed adjustments.
