FOUR people killed in a horror cable car crash were just seconds from safety when a wire snapped and the cab plunged 100ft into a forest.
The tragedy struck near the summit of Mount Faito, near Naples, just days after the line reopened for the summer season – killing two Brits, an Israeli woman and a cable car operator.
EPAThe Brit couple killed the horror cable car accident were just seconds away from safety when tragedy struck[/caption]
The cable car wreckage was seen stuck in the trees after the deadly fallUnpixs
FacebookCable car operator Carmine Parlato, 59, died while carrying out his daily run up the peak[/caption]
A second Israeli tourist was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, according to La Repubblica.
Italian authorities have identified one of the Brits as Margaret Elaine Winn, 58, but have not named the second – a man who is believed to be her husband.
And the Israeli woman was identified as 25-year-old Janan Suliman.
Italian cable car operator Carmine Parlato, 59, was also among those killed.
Carmine was on his daily run up Monte Faito — a journey he was said to be deeply devoted to, according to Italian media.
Pal Domenico Monoco described Carmine as a “decent and hard working guy” in a touching tribute.
He wrote: “I’m really struggling to accept that you’re no longer with us.
“I want to remember you for how you’ve always been, a golden boy.”
Another friend, Del Santo Giuseppe, said he was a “kind, helpful professional who put a lot of enthusiasm and passion into his work”.
The group had left the Castellammare di Stabia station at 2:40pm on Thursday, heading for the top of the 3,700ft peak.
But six minutes later – and less than half a minute from the terminal – the cabin jolted to a stop.
Authorities believe the emergency brake system failed – causing the cabin to slip backwards before a traction cable snapped.
The cable car then hurtled “at full speed” into a pylon and fell nearly 100ft into thick woodland.
Umberto de Gregorio, head of the cable car company Ente Autonomy Volturno, said: “It’s an unimaginable, unforeseeable tragedy.”
Rescuers reached the mangled wreckage two hours later due to treacherous terrain, thick fog and high winds.
Miraculously, one Israeli tourist was found alive among the twisted metal and shattered trees.
He was airlifted to hospital in critical condition, suffering multiple fractures, and remains on a ventilator under deep sedation.
The bodies of the other four were recovered nearby, scattered across the slope.
APRescuers have had to work through the night at the scene of the disaster[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
