Tragedy Strikes as Italian Cable Car Crash Near Naples Claims Four Lives, Including Tourists

Four people, including three tourists, lost their lives after a cable car crashed south of Naples, Italy, on Thursday. Among the victims were a British woman, an Israeli woman, and the Italian driver who operated the ill-fated car, according to Marco De Rosa, spokesperson for the mayor of Vico Equense. The fourth tourist has not been publicly identified yet.

Initial reports indicate that a traction cable gave way as the cable cars traveled along Monte Faito in Castellammare di Stabia, causing one car to plummet while another became stranded mid-air. Sixteen passengers trapped in the immobilized car were eventually rescued, but not before enduring a harrowing wait above the mountainside.

One more passenger, believed to be a foreign tourist, survived the crash but remains hospitalized in Naples with serious injuries. The group was riding a cable car line famous for its panoramic views of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples, which had just reopened for the season a week prior to the disaster.

Rescue operations stretched late into the evening, hampered by severe weather. Over 50 firefighters, alpine rescue teams, police, and civil protection personnel battled tough conditions to reach survivors.

Local prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation, planning to inspect every part of the cable system — from stations to pylons and cabins. Luigi Vicinanza, mayor of Castellammare di Stabia, noted that the cable car line had been regularly inspected and that the emergency brake failed to engage on the cabin entering the station, even though it worked downstream. The line covers 3 kilometers (about 1.8 miles) from the town up the mountain.

The EAV public transport company, which operates the line, emphasized that the cable car had passed three months of daily safety testing before reopening. EAV President Umberto De Gregorio described the crash as "inexplicable," maintaining that technical experts found no link between the severe weather and the accident. The cable cars are equipped with an automatic shutoff that activates if winds exceed safe levels.

The Monte Faito cable car has a long history, opening in 1952. It previously experienced a deadly accident in 1960, when a pylon failure killed four people. Other tragic Italian cable car incidents include the 2021 Stresa-Mottarone crash in northern Italy that killed 14 people, and the 1998 Cavalese disaster, when a U.S. military jet severed a cable, causing 20 deaths.

The latest tragedy raises fresh questions about the safety of aging infrastructure and the effectiveness of inspection routines — especially with a reopened tourist attraction drawing crowds. For those who dream of an idyllic Italian vacation, this is a harsh reminder that breathtaking views sometimes come with very real risks.