Four Reported Dead In Naples Cable Car Accident

A devastating cable car accident near Naples has resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries. The incident occurred today at the Monte Faito cable car system, a popular tourist attraction known for its scenic views of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples.

According to initial reports, a cable car plummeted to the ground after a cable snapped. Emergency services, including alpine rescue teams, firefighters, and police, were immediately dispatched to the scene. The snapped cable brought both the upward and downward cable cars to a halt as they traversed Monte Faito in the town of Castellammare di Stabia. The upward cable car eventually crashed, causing the fatalities and injury, 

At least four people, including two British tourists, have died, a third fatality is believed to be Israeli, whilst the fourth victim is understood to be the driver.

The cable car system had only recently reopened for the season, adding to the shock and grief surrounding the tragedy. The operator stated that '“The seasonal service of the cableway allows for the cyclical carrying out of ordinary and extraordinary maintenance operations , such as the replacement of the rescue rope, which recently took place with qualified companies”. Adding that 113 000 visitors had used the lift in 2024.

The president of the region, Vincenzo De Luca, said: “It could have been worse. Many lives have been saved.”

Fortunately, the cabin that was descending towards the valley did not suffer the same tragic fate: after the emergency systems had been successfully started, it remained suspended in mid-air for a few hours, but all the passengers were rescued after hours of complex rescue operations. Following the accident, due to the fall of the hauling cable onto the underlying tracks of the Circumvesuviana railway, the line was closed and, to facilitate the rescue operations, the nearby motorway exit was also closed. The second cabin was also on the line at the time but located near the bottom of the valley - 16 people were rescued from it and winched to safety.

A press release issued by the Italian government said: 'Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is in Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump, learned of the tragic accident that occurred today on the Monte Faito cable car and wishes to express, on behalf of the Italian Government and her own, her closeness and deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the injured.'

The mayor of Castellammare di Stabia said it was believed a traction cable had snapped. "The emergency brake downstream worked but clearly not the one on the cabin that was about to reach the top of the hill," he told Italian media.

He added that there had been regular safety checks on the cable car line which runs three kilometres from the town to the top of the mountain.

Speaking on the tragic accident, Naples mayor Gaetano Manfredi said:  'I express deep condolences, on behalf of the Metropolitan City of Naples and myself, for the victims of the tragedy that occurred this afternoon due to the collapse of the Faito cable car cabin'.

The company which runs the service,  EAV said the seasonal cable car had "reopened 10 days ago with all the required safety conditions". "What happened today is an unimaginable, unforeseeable tragedy," EAV's CEO Umberto de Gregorio said.

Prosecutors have launched an investigation.

The system has a valley station, located in the Castellammare di Stabia station , where all the components necessary for its operation are also located, also called the driving station, and a mountain station, at a height of approximately 1,100 metres, called the return station: the power of the two motors is approximately 180 kW.

Along the way, three trestles are crossed to change the gradient: the journey of approximately 3 kilometres is covered in 8 minutes, thanks to a speed of 7.5 metres per second.

There are two cabins that leave simultaneously from the two stations: they have a transport capacity of 35 people which guarantees a capacity of 500 users per hour. Naturally, the entire system is subject to seasonal maintenance and important safety standards are maintained thanks to the presence of telephone systems between the cabins and the stations, anemometers for wind detection and a closed circuit television system.

The Faito cableway was first opened to the public on 24 August 1952 with the mainly touristic purpose of connecting Mount Faito with the coastal line: the valley station was located in Castellammare di Stabia, near the Circumvesuviana railway station, on the Naples - Sorrento railway, already creating an interchange between train and cableway at the time.

In 1960 the first accident involving the system occurred, when at the first gantry, the cabin coming from Faito, perhaps due to the high speed, became disconnected from the traction wires and crashed onto the railway tracks below, causing the death of four people. After this accident, maintenance work was necessary which also led to the replacement of the two cabins which took on the light blue colour, compared to the ivory and red of the previous ones.

In 1988, modernization works began, financed by both the Campania Region and the Ministry of Transport for a total of approximately 3.5 billion lire . The plant was reopened in 1990: the main feature was the new gearbox of the two carriages, this time in grey livery with red stripes and the Circumvesuviana symbol on both the front and rear sides. In 2012, the lift was closed due to lack of funds for structural adjustments.

Since 2013, the lift has been managed by Circumvesuviana and by the Ente Autonomo Volturno . Maintenance works began at the end of 2015: a reopening, thanks also to a derogation obtained from the ministry, was announced for 25 April 2016, later moved to 4 May of the same year. The renovation works, without ever interrupting the lift's activity, continued in 2017 and were completed in the first decade of 2018.