The Italian riflemen put a tarp over the cabin of the cable car after it fell, in Stresa on May 24, 2021. – Nicola Marfisi / AGF / SIPA
The Israeli boy, the sole survivor of the cable car accident that killed 14 people on May 23 in northern Italy, has been released from intensive care. This was announced by a spokesperson for the Turin hospital where he is being treated.
The 5-year-old boy is the only passenger to survive after the cable car cabin fell into the void in Stresa, near the top of Mount Mottarone, which reaches nearly 1,500 meters. Among the 14 other passengers were his parents, his 2-year-old brother and his great-grandparents.
Emergency braking system deactivated
Eitan, who had suffered various trauma to the abdomen and thorax as well as various fractures, was transferred to a long-stay ward. The aunt of the little boy, whose family had emigrated to Italy in 2018, is at his bedside.
Several officials from the company operating the cable car are suspected of deliberately deactivating the emergency braking system that should have blocked the cabin when the cable broke. Thirteen passengers died instantly, while Eitan and another child were taken to hospital. The latter then died of his injuries. Popular with tourists, the Stresa cable car connects this small village to Mount Mottarone in 20 minutes, which offers spectacular views of Lake Maggiore and the Alps.