On the mountainside where cabin 3 of the Stresa-Mottarone cable car fell on May 23, 2021 at an altitude of around 1,300 meters, a simple stone plaque with the inscription “To the Everlasting Memory” and the names of the victims was unveiled.
The plaque is located exactly where cabin number 3 was smashed. The day began with a mass to commemorate the dead in a small hilltop church at the top of Mount Mottarone. The memorial ceremony was attended by the victims’ relatives, the mayor of Stresa, Marcella Severino, and the prosecutor Olimpia Bossi, who is leading the investigation into the accident.
Also Eitan’s relatives at ceremony
Also present at the ceremony were the relatives of six-year-old Eitan, the sole survivor of the accident. Eitan’s Israeli parents, his younger brother and both of his great-grandparents were killed. His maternal grandparents continue to fight to bring him to Israel. “Eitan is in our hearts and minds. We will continue to fight for him so that he can grow up in Israel, his natural homeland, the homeland of his family, the burial place of his parents and his little brother,” said the grandparents.
After a long legal battle, the child is now living in the northern Italian city of Pavia with his paternal aunt, who was present at the ceremony on Mottarone Mountain. “Although we were sentenced to be far from Eitan, we have never given up and will never give up fighting for his return to Israel. We hope that the court in Milan and those dealing with Eitan’s affairs have his best interests at heart and will right the terrible wrong that has been done to him and to us,” the maternal grandparents said in a press release on Monday.
Gondola jumped out of anchorage
On May 23, 2021, the rope of the cable car broke just before the mountain station. At that moment, the emergency brakes on the suspension cable should have engaged. According to previous investigations, however, these were blocked with clamps because they are said to have caused disruptions during ongoing operations. The gondola raced down the valley, jumped out of the anchorage on a cable car support and hit the ground.
The gondola was still months after the accident at the scene of the accident until it was dismantled and transported away in early November. The investigations dragged on. 14 people are held accountable for the accident, including the owner of the operating company of the cable car and the manager responsible for safety. It is also determined whether the tragedy was triggered by the deliberate shutdown of the security system. An expert opinion is still pending, when the process will begin is open.
Source: Nachrichten
