At least 12 people died and two kids were seriously injured Sunday when a cable car crashed to the ground in northern Italy, officials said.

The horrific crash occurred on the Stresa-Mottarone cable car, which carries tourists and locals from the resort town of Stresa on Lake Maggiore to Mottarone mountain in the Alps.

Emergency crews were continuing to search the scene Sunday, with indications that a 15th person might have been in the car, according to Walter Milan, a spokesman for Italy’s alpine rescue service for the Piedmont region.

The two injured kids, ages 5 and 9, were airlifted to a children’s hospital in the nearby northern city of Turin,  the BBC reported.

“It is a very serious accident,” Milan told RaiNews24 television.

The cause of the crash is unclear, but officials said the cable car failed nearly 1,000 feet from the top of the mountain, the outlet reported.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi offered his condolences for the “tragic accident.”

“I express the condolences of the whole Government to the families of the victims, with special thought for the seriously injured children and their families,” he said in a statement.

The cable car service, which first opened in August 1970, is popular among tourists since it offers scenic views of Lake Maggiore and the surrounding Alps.

It had undergone renovations in 2016 and only recently reopened following coronavirus lockdowns.

With Post Wires

Share this article:

Source: Read Full Article