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A cable car has slammed into safety barriers at a mountain station in northern Italy, injuring six people including a child and leaving around 100 individuals stranded at high altitude. The incident occurred this morning at Monte Moro station in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola region, triggering a major helicopter rescue operation.
The cable car failed to slow down sufficiently when entering the station at 9,000ft and struck the barriers. Filippo Besozzi, director of Macugnaga Trasporti e Servizi, told Italian publication Corriere Torino: «We had a technical problem. The cable car didn't slow down enough when entering the station and therefore hit the safety barriers.»
One person sustained an arm injury, while others suffered grazes. All injured passengers received immediate treatment from a doctor and nurse who were present in the area.
Helicopter evacuation underway
The crash has left approximately 100 people requiring evacuation from the mountain. Firefighters are working with helicopters to bring down 94 people stranded at the Basso Moro station.
Besozzi explained to Corriere Torino: «The difficulty now is to evacuate 94 people at the Basso Moro station without any emergency. They are gathered inside the cable car and are obviously not affected by the accident, but they do need to be evacuated, and that's why the firefighters are working with helicopters.»
The injured were handed over to emergency services and evacuated by helicopter. Ski slopes have been closed and the lift stopped while rescue operations continue. Besozzi said he expects the evacuation to be completed within a few hours.
Recent overhaul
The ski lift was originally built in 1962. It underwent a major €2million overhaul in early 2023, including replacement of motors, pulleys and cabins. The upgrade was funded by the Piedmont Region and the Municipality of Macugnaga.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
