A mountain cable car plunged to the ground in northwest Italy killing nine people. It was at
Monterrone between Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta.
Has anyone here been on that one?
https://apnews.com/article/italy-cable-car-84672bf7fcd99f103587cc3862b49dcc
I have seen it but did not go on it. What a terrible tragedy is such a beautiful setting.
Oh I’m so glad I read that. I don’t think I’m ever going on a cable car. This is by far one of my biggest fears
So unfortunate.
I have used them as a mountain skier in various locations, and often went to a conference in the Fall at a ski resort, so the gondola runs for 'Fall Colour' views. I also like heights, so have no issues with them. This wouldn't dissuade me from taking them in that region either...if views warrant them.
Toll now 12.
Two children have survived
Just horrific.
Yes Frank, I have.
Early October 2010, my youngest daughter, 2 brothers-in-law and I took the cable car trip. From memory it was around 20C, cloudless azure sky giving an unforgettable vista to the north over Largo Maggiore into Switzerland. We had the car to ourselves and only a handful of people at the top of the peak. We have nice memories of the day. (I am away from home and so cannot check with my travel diary for more accurate info). Have driven along the lake a couple of time since. Completely understand why Hemmingway was attracted to Stressa.
The Giro riders will be going over Mottarone this Friday on the penultimate mountain stage.
Tragic event.
Regards Ron
Unfortunately life has risks. We have lost people on chair lifts in Colorado even with the best of maintenance. Haven't been on that one but have been on several in Switzerland and France. But I would assume the absolute risk of death on a cable car is far less than just driving on the roads.
Unfortunately life has risks...the absolute risk of death on a cable car is far less than just driving on the roads.
Frank made a very good point. The most dangerous parts of any trip to Europe are, in my opinion, the drives to and from the airports.
We have been on that cable car, in 2017. It leads to a fabulous vista and ultimately one can walk to a gourmet destination for lunch or to stay, Villa Pizzini.
Like Frank, I won't let this change our lives. We take many cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts, and funiculars in Europe and will continue to do so. I would not get back on a bus in Rome for any reason.
Is that the same area where the jet accidentally snapped a cable, causing another car to fall?
I wouldn't call flying at a forbidden altitude over a populated area an accident... anyway no, more or less Stresa is on the other side of the Alpine range.
The company that rebuilt the Mottarone cable-car in 2016 has a good reputation all over Europe and invested its own money in the system. They paid around 1/6 of the money needed to complete the works and in return they were allowed to manage the cable-car for some years.
I almost took it in 2018 but decided to stay longer on Isola Bella instead.
It’s 14 fatalities now. Only one kid so far has survived.
I have also travelled on the cable car from Stresa to Mt. Mottarone, at at the time I quite enjoyed it. I’ll be interested to know what caused this terrible tragedy. As I recall, once passengers disembark from the large cable car, there’s a smaller chairlift that takes passengers right to the top.
Walter Milan, spokesperson for Italy's Alpine rescue service, said the cable line was renovated in 2016 and that the attraction had just opened back up following closures during coronavirus lockdowns, the AP reported.( https://www.npr.org/2021/05/23/999619262/cable-car-disaster-in-italy-kills-14 )
I wonder if other such systems will be shutdown for in depth inspection after the extended period of being idle.
I have no engineering expertise, but wonder if the cable sitting unused for extended periods takes a "set" and is susceptible to fail once stretched in a different direction?
I would feel a lot better about taking one if I read that an inspection had been done and at least some had to have repairs to be certified for use. Also would want them to find the definitive cause of this failure, to rule out the same issue on other such systems.
Everyone is just guessing as to cause and that serves no real purpose. Obviously something failed so wait for the report. Most of our chair lifts and gondolas sit 7, 8 months of the year and run just fine afterwards so I doubt if prolonged inactivity caused the problem..
Hopefully the authorities don't find that this incident was intentionally caused. That has happened twice to a cable car system here in B.C. - https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/sea-to-sky-gondola-cable-cut-sabotage . No one seems to know why this was done, as no one ever claimed responsibility for the damage they caused, or indicated why they did it.
This is incredibly sad- this is what has been reported online:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/5231687001
Prayers to all the victims and Families involved as well as Search and Rescue 🙏🏻 ✨
On a side note:
I went on this a few years ago and it was one of the highlights of my trip to Lake Maggiore and Stresa- with magnificent alpine views- one car takes you halfway up then you get off and take a second car to the top- once you disembark you can then take a chair lift to the very top- or there is a toboggan like ride on the side and a restaurant as well, and a War Memorial if I recall- stunning views and I took many pictures from the top. It was a great day! I remember the Cable Car Operator a Gruff but Handsome Italian Man who I gave some candy to as I exited- He smiled for the first time as he had been rather grumpy the entire trip up and back. The rest of the employees of the Funicular were all very nice and must be grieving as well. Very sad news
I haven’t been on the cable car because I am very afraid/dizzy at open heights. But, I love to go to Stresa! Was supposed to be back in 2020. Last time I was there, I moved out to Isola Bella for my last night staying at Boutique Hotel Elvezia on Isola Bella - a charming small hotel. My room had a view towards the cable car.
This is such a tragedy and hearing more lives were lost now.
It now looks like it may have been the fault of the cable car operator for not having properly working emergency brakes.
BBC News - Italy cable car fall: Three arrested over fatal accident
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57252289
Almost beyond belief.
Sadness now turns to fury for me.
How awful. Glad to see someone is being held responsible, but so sad.
Due to corvid restrictions capacity was called at half, could have been a even worse event.
I’ve ridden it twice since it was refurbished 5 years ago. I go to Stresa often and have written the hotel owners where I stay. Last ride was 2019.
A separate post from steven, who hadn’t seen the update on this post, has a link to a New York Times article, with perspectives from some locals. Horribly tragic, but infuriating nonetheless. The U.S. has had mass shooting deaths, but this was a negligence-caused.
The tram had been down for maintenance for 2 years, then a shortcut override to ignore continued problems was installed. They knew this was a liability. Apparently the owner and managers of the tram were arrested. What about the workers who installed the shortcut clamp, were they just following orders?
The father’s efforts saved his son - the only good part of the tragedy.
Is that the same area where the jet accidentally snapped a cable, causing another car to fall?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Cavalese_cable_car_disaster
The Cavalese cable car disaster, also known as the Strage del Cermis
(Italian: Massacre of Cermis), occurred on February 3, 1998, near the
Italian town of Cavalese, a ski resort in the Dolomites some 25 miles
(40 km) northeast of Trento. Twenty people died when a United States
Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler aircraft, flying too low and against
regulations, cut a cable supporting a cable car of an aerial
lift.[1][2]
in other words for those who don't know the geography, the answer is no - it was nowhere near.
My concern is that this won't be the last accident to happen due to covid forced shut downs and businesses desparate to keep afloat. Or establishment renovations done during covid for facelifts, but perhaps rushed or shorted on quality work. As tourism or travel open up again, I expect more examples of this will come to light. For early return to travel folks, they may want to keep this in the backs of their minds.
I am afraid you are right, Maria. If the cable car hadn't remained closed for months, they would have never blocked the emergency brakes to avoid loosing money on the first week end with no restrictions. At least I hope they wouldn't...
Leitner had checked the ropes on November 5, they must have thought "the system is safe, both ropes are ok whereas a set of new emergency brakes is very expensive: now let's make some money, we'll close after the season".
Authorities have now identified the person who appears to have been primarily responsible for tampering with the brake mechanism on the Mottarone cable car - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/blame-italy-cable-car-deaths-rests-technician-who-disabled-emergency-n1269115 .
I suspect that the full investigation and court case are going to take quite awhile to conclude.
Interesting update, Ken. Inconvenient safety devices are such a pain - like the smoke alarm that keeps going off every time something burns on the stove.
The tampering with the brake still does not explain the primary cause of the accident, that is: how did the traction cable break? We are talking about a serious cable that should hold no less than 5 times the maximum allowed charge under the worst conditions - and broke under less than half the ordinary charge. When the cable broke a working emergency brake would have stopped the car, but the cable is expected to never break under any circumstance. Almost all known instances of broken traction cables are those that were severed by planes - an event no engineer can design to prevent.
Actually the emergency brake is not required under UE rules and for example most cable cars in France do not have it, but have instead a different kind of junction between the traction cable and car, that is more easily inspected.
