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A cable car accident in Italy’s Piedmont region on Tuesday left at least six people injured, with helicopters deployed to rescue about 100 others, according to local authorities.
The incident happened at around 11:25 am when two cabins collided with the cable car’s upper and lower stations near the village of Macugnaga, the Italian fire service said.
The nearby ski slopes were closed off, and the ski lift was suspended after the accident.
The Civil Alpine Rescue Service, police and firefighters quickly arrived on the scene and helped to evacuate the people stranded on the mountain, mainly tourists.
Filippo Besozzi, managing director of lift operator Macugnaga Trasporti e Servizi, said one of the cabins had failed to slow down as expected and had hit a station barrier.
“Fortunately there are no serious injuries, nobody’s life is in danger. There is a 59-year-old man who has a wound on his arm. Others have had minor grazes,” he said.
The Macugnaga cable car was built in 1962 and had been refurubished in 2023, to replace its engines and cabins, at a cost of €2 million.
There have been several serious cable car accidents in Italy in recent years. The most recent incident happened in April, when four people died near Castellammare di Stabia.
