AdvertisementFourteen people were killed when the lead cable of the Mottarone cable car overlooking Lake Maggiore in northern Italy snapped, and the emergency brake failed to prevent the cable car from reeling at high speed backward down the support line. The cable car pulled off the line entirely after passing the support pylon, crashed to the ground and then rolled down the mountain until it was stopped by a stand of trees. The Vipiteno, Italy-based company that maintains the cable car system, Leitner SpA, has said “no irregularities were detected” during the November 2020 magnetic testing of the lead cable, and that every other annual check hadn’t turned up problems either. Lawyers for Nerini and Perocchio said the two denied knowing anything about Tadini’s actions and said they had no reason to let a cable car without a brake system operate. As he left jail, Perocchio said he was “desperately sad” for the victims and never would have authorized disabling the emergency brake.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 31, 2021 09:30 UTC