Image: APA/AFP/Vigili del Fuoco/HANDOUT
Criminal proceedings are being sought against six people, the judicial authorities said on Friday. The owner of the cable car operator “Ferrovie del Mottarone”, the manager, the technical director, the chairman of the board of cable car manufacturer Leitner, Anton Seeber, and two other employees of the South Tyrolean company are accused.
They are accused of multiple negligent homicides and severe negligent bodily harm, endangering road safety and intentionally removing or failing to take safety precautions against accidents at work.
Emergency brakes were blocked
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.
14 people died in the accident. The only survivor was a five-year-old child of Israeli descent. His Israeli parents, younger brother and both of his great-grandparents were all killed. After the accident, a dispute broke out between relatives over the custody of the child, who was then entrusted by a court to a paternal aunt living in northern Italy.
Pictures show the scene of the accident:
‘Surprised’ at charges
The South Tyrolean cable car manufacturer Leitner was “surprised” by the indictment on Friday. “The fact remains that this tragedy happened due to the willful deactivation of the cable car’s emergency brake,” it said in a statement. It was “surprising” that the company and management were accused of “not having overseen the work of the person responsible for technology as an official.
According to the law, such supervision is the responsibility of the National Office for Cable Cars (Ustif),” Leitner argued. They had worked with the authorities and disclosed all documentation. “We will now review all the documentation from the public prosecutor’s office,” it was announced. One is still convinced that he “acted correctly”.
Source: Nachrichten
