FOUR people killed in a horror cable car crash were just seconds from safety when a wire snapped and the cab plunged 100ft into a forest.
A tragic incident occurred close to the top of Mount Faito, near Naples, shortly after the reopening of the cable car line for the summer season. The accident resulted in the deaths of two British individuals, an Israeli woman, and the cable car operator.
A second Israeli tourist was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, according to La Repubblica.
One of the British victims has been identified as Margaret Elaine Winn, aged 58. However, the second British victim, believed to be her husband, has not yet been named by Italian authorities.
And the Israeli woman was identified as 25-year-old Janan Suliman.
Italian cable car operator Carmine Parlato, 59, was also among those killed.
Carmine was on his daily run up Monte Faito — a journey he was said to be deeply devoted to, according to Italian media.
Pal Domenico Monoco described Carmine as a “decent and hard working guy” in a touching tribute.
He wrote: “I’m really struggling to accept that you’re no longer with us.
“I want to remember you for how you’ve always been, a golden boy.”
Another friend, Del Santo Giuseppe, said he was a “kind, helpful professional who put a lot of enthusiasm and passion into his work”.
The group had left the Castellammare di Stabia station at 2:40pm on Thursday, heading for the top of the 3,700ft peak.
But six minutes later – and less than half a minute from the terminal – the cabin jolted to a stop.
Authorities believe the emergency brake system failed – causing the cabin to slip backwards before a traction cable snapped.
The cable car then hurtled “at full speed” into a pylon and fell nearly 100ft into thick woodland.
Umberto de Gregorio, head of the cable car company Ente Autonomy Volturno, said: “It’s an unimaginable, unforeseeable tragedy.”
Rescuers reached the mangled wreckage two hours later due to treacherous terrain, thick fog and high winds.
Miraculously, one Israeli tourist was found alive among the twisted metal and shattered trees.
He was airlifted to hospital in critical condition, suffering multiple fractures, and remains on a ventilator under deep sedation.
The bodies of the other four were recovered nearby, scattered across the slope.
