Eitan, 5 years old, lost a large part of his family in the tragedy of the cable car of Stresa.

 Sylvie Claire / May 24, 2021

The fall of a cable car cabin killed 14 people and seriously injured one on Sunday in Stresa, a resort in Piedmont on the shores of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.

The accident occurred around 12:30 pm, 100 meters from the last station of the cable car. It would be due to the rupture of a cable on the highest part of the route. The cabin was carrying 15 people.

A problem of overloading seemed to be ruled out, since these cabins can carry more than 35 passengers. The cabin fell about 15 meters, then went down a part of the slope before crashing into a tree, said an official of the local carabinieri.

The gondola was about to reach Mottarone. At a certain point, however, it started to move backwards. The gondola probably hit the pylon on the way back and was ejected, explained the mayor of Stresa, Marcella Severino.

Eitan and Mattia

Two children aged nine and five years had been hospitalized in Turin. The first, Mattia, admitted to intensive care in critical condition, died of his injuries, announced in the evening the Alpine Rescue on their Twitter account. The second, Eitan, suffered a head injury and fractures of the legs.

The latter lost his parents, his brother and his great-grandparents in this tragedy. Eitan and Mattia spent several hours together in the hospital. Mattia went away. Eitan had to be put to sleep to be operated on: Leave me alone, I'm afraid, he just had the strength to say.

The cable car connects the village of Stresa in 20 minutes to Mount Mottarone, which rises to almost 1,500 meters, offering a spectacular view of Lake Maggiore and the Alps