Cavalese cable car disaster (1976)

The Cavalese cable car disaster of 1976 is the deadliest cable car accident ever. On 9 March 1976 the steel supporting cable of an aerial tramway-style cable car broke as a car was descending from Cermis near the Italian ski-resort Cavalese in the Dolomites, 40 km north-east of Trento.

The cabin fell some 200 metres (660 ft) down a mountainside, then skidded 300 feet (91 m) before coming to a halt in a grassy meadow. In the fall the three-ton overhead carriage assembly fell on top of the car, crushing it. Forty-three people died, including 15 children aged between 7 and 15 and the 18 year old cable car attendant. Initial reports stated 42 dead with one missing, however the last body, that of Fabio Rustia, was found later.[1] The only survivor was a 14-year-old Milanese girl, Alessandra Piovesana.[2] The cable car had a capacity of 40 people or 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg). At the time of the accident it had 44 occupants – justified by the operator as many of them were children. Most of the victims were West Germans from Hamburg. Among those aboard were 21 Germans, 11 Italians, 7 Austrians and one French woman.[1][3][4]

The inquest found that two steel cables crossed and one severed the other. The automatic safety system which could have prevented disaster was switched off.[5] Four lift officials were jailed for their part in the disaster.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "BBC ON THIS DAY | 9 | 1976: Scores die in cable car tragedy"
  2. ^ Mrs Piovesana passed away in 2009 [1]
  3. ^ "42 Skiers Are Killed in Italy When Cable Car Falls 200 Feet", The New York Times, March 10, 1976
  4. ^ "42 plunge to death in cable car crash", The Daily Collegian, March 11, 1976, page 6.
  5. ^ Henley, Jon (2 July 1999). "20 killed in cable car disaster". guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/1999/jul/02/jonhenley. Retrieved 2 March 2010.