UPDATE: |Two British tourists among four killed in Italy cable car crash News

The cab plummeted to the ground near Naples

Two British tourists are among four people tragically killed after a cable car plunged to the ground in Italy.

The cab collapsed at around 3pm on Thursday (April 17) after a wire reportedly snapped, between the town of Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples, and the summit of Mount Faito.

Two of the occupants killed have since been confirmed as British tourists, while a third person was from Israel. The fourth person killed in the crash was the driver of the cable car.

At least one person has also been critically injured, officials have said.

A major search and rescue mission took place following the collision, the Mirror reports.

Sixteen people were on-board another cable car which became trapped in the air due to the incident, with footage showing the passengers wearing harnesses as they swapped one cab for another.

High winds and fog have hampered efforts by mountain rescue teams to reach those injured in the accident, which is feared to have been caused by a cable suddenly breaking. The winds are feared to have played a part in the accident.

The cable car, which offers panoramic views of nearby Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples over its 3km journey, had only recently resumed operations for the season after being closed over winter.

Umberto De Gregorio, chairman of the EAV public transport company in charge of the cable car service, described today’s incident as a ‘tragedy’. He wrote on Facebook : “The cabin at the top has crashed, casualties are feared.”

Mayor Luigi Vicinanza Sindaco, who is due to visit the area of the accident, shared his distress online. He said in a statement on Facebook: “Due to the serious events of the Faito cable car, all events planned for the Easter holidays are cancelled.”

A spokesman for the Foreign Office told the Mirror: “We are monitoring the situation following an incident in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.”

In 2021, 14 people died in Italy when a cable car linking the northern Lake Maggiore with a nearby mountain plunged to the ground.

Two young children were among the victims who died when it fell 65ft to the ground and rolled down a mountainside before slamming into trees.

Of the four families involved in Sunday’s tragedy in Italy’s Western Alps, one was originally from Israel and lost five family members, including a two-year-old boy and an 83-year-old woman, said officials.

The lift was carrying 15 people when it fell from the highest point of a line running between the town of Stresa, on picturesque Lake Maggiore, and the summit of the 4,900-ft Mottarone mountain.

Stresa Mayor Marcella Severino told local media it appeared a cable had snapped close to the route’s final pylon, causing the car to plunge and overturn several times.