Italy cable car falls

Near Lake Maggiore in northwestern Italy, 14 people were killed and one child was injured at Mottarone mountain on May 23 when a cable car fell 65 feet after a cable snapped. Five of the passengers were Israeli; the rest were Italian.

According to investigators, a towing cable broke and the car’s emergency brake failed, causing it to speed backward and fall off of the support cables. Investigators determined that the brake had been disabled due to a maintenance issue, but the car had been allowed to remain on the cables.

The owner and two managers of the cable car line were arrested on May 26 on charges of negligence and involuntary homicide. A car farther down the cable was also affected, but its emergency brake had been activated and no one was injured.