Four people have been killed after a cable car’s traction cable snapped and the cabin fell to the ground in southern Italy.
Four tourists and an engineer were on board the Monte Faito cable car when it plunged at “maximum speed” into woodland after striking a pylon on Thursday afternoon.
A fifth person who was flung from the cabin was evacuated by helicopter in a serious condition.
The accident happened as the cable car was approaching the Monte Faito landing station, a peak around 45 kilometres (28 miles) south-east of Naples offering hikers views of Naples and Vesuvius.
The mayor of Castellammare di Stabia, Luigi Vicinanza told reporters: “The traction cable broke, the emergency brake downstream worked but evidently not the one on the cabin that was entering the station on the top of Faito.”
The cable car had just reopened a week ago after being closed for winter, the mayor added.
Thick fog had surrounded the beauty spot at the time of the disaster and has been hindering rescue operations, local media reports suggest.
The governor of Campania told Rainews that the “two tourist couples” were in the cabin when disaster struck shortly after 3pm along the cableway that connects the city of Castellammare di Stabia in Naples with the summit.
16 passengers on board another cabin downstream were winched out and slid out of the dangling cable car on ropes, footage on Rai public television showed.
“We are facing a tragedy that leaves us breathless and speechless”, Angelo Lustro, general secretary of the CGIL union said.
Confirming the engineer as one of the victims, he added: “Now is the time for mourning and silence for the victims of this immense and absurd tragedy. Then the time will come to ascertain the causes and who is responsible.”
Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli expressed his condolences to the victims, saying: “Monte Faito is a symbolic place. As a guardian of natural beauty to see it today the scene of such a tragedy saddens us deeply.
“Our most sincere thoughts go to the community affected and to all those who are facing the consequences of this tragedy.”
Firefighters spokesman Luca Cari gave an update on the rescue to Italian broadcaster Rainews24: “At this moment, it is a matter of securing the fallen cabin to avoid further slips and jeopardising the safety of our firefighters who are operating downstream to search for a missing person.”
