Italy cable car fall: Three people arrested over disaster that left 14 dead

A five-year-old boy, the lone survivor of the crash, remains in hospital

Rescuers by the wreckage of the cable car (AP)

Three people have been arrested over the cable car disaster in northern Italy which has left 14 dead.

An investigation has found a clamp had been intentionally placed on the brake as a botched repair which prevented the brake from engaging after the lead cable snapped.

A child was among the dead after the cable car plunged to the ground on a mountainside in the northern Piedmont region on Sunday.

A five-year-old boy – an Israeli citizen living in Italy – is the only survivor and remains in hospital.

The government launched the investigation into the tragedy on the Stresa-to-Mottarone service.

Police said on Wednesday several arrests had been made.

Carabinieri officer Alberto Cicognani told Sky that at least one of the three people questioned overnight admitted to the repair.

He said the fork-shaped clamp had been placed on the brake specifically to prevent it from engaging because it was braking spontaneously and preventing the funicular from working.

The clamp was put on several weeks ago as a temporary fix to prevent further interruptions in the funicular service, Mr Cicognani said.

Sky and the LaPresse news agency identified the three people arrested as the owner of the cable car service, the company’s director and the service chief.

The cable car line went back into service in April after being closed over winter due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, the lead cable snapped and the cabin reeled back down the line until it pulled off entirely, crashing to the ground and rolling down the mountain before coming to a stop against some trees.

The cable car is believed to have fallen from around 50ft as it took sightseers up Mottarone mountain, which overlooks Italy’s Lake Maggiore.

Members of five different families died, including one family of Israeli origin, according to local media.

The victims of Israeli origin include a couple and their two-year-old son, who lived in neighbouring Lombardy, Italian news agency ANSA reported. Their five-year-old son survived.

The mother’s grandparents, who the Israeli foreign ministry said had arrived last week to visit, also died.

The other victims included a two-year-old Italian boy and his parents, as well as three other couples living in Italy, according to ANSA.

Additional reporting by Associated Press