A British woman has been named among the four people killed in a tragic cable car accident near Naples, Italy, that occurred on Thursday when a cabin plunged to the ground after a suspected cable failure.
Italian officials confirmed the woman as Margaret Elaine Winn. A second British national also perished in the crash, though their identity has not yet been released publicly.
The accident took place on the Mount Faito cable car line, which connects the town of Castellammare di Stabia to the summit of Mount Faito, a popular tourist destination overlooking the Bay of Naples.
Local authorities reported that the cabin fell after one of the supporting cables snapped during operation. The mayor of Castellammare di Stabia said the cabin’s emergency brake failed as it neared the top of the mountain, contributing to the deadly fall.
Also among the deceased are Carmine Parlato, 59, the cable car operator, and Janan Suliman, an Israeli national. Suliman’s brother, who was also in the cabin, survived but suffered critical injuries. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he remains in intensive care.
Sixteen other passengers, who were in a second cabin lower on the line at the time of the crash, were rescued after being stranded mid-air. Emergency crews, including mountain rescue and fire brigade personnel, successfully winched all individuals to safety without further injury.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office stated, “We are dealing with an incident in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities. Our thoughts are with those affected.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking from Washington where she is currently on an official visit, offered her “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims.
Authorities in Torre Annunziata have launched a formal criminal investigation into the cause of the accident. Early findings suggest the likely failure of a traction cable. The cable car line had reportedly undergone a full safety inspection just two weeks before the incident and had been cleared for operation.
“This is a tragedy that has shaken our entire community,” said the mayor. “The emergency brake system at the base was activated correctly, but it appears the cabin’s individual brake system failed just before reaching the top.”
The Mount Faito cable car system, which began operating in 1952, has a grim history of past incidents. In 1960, four people were killed in a similar crash, raising renewed concerns about the long-term safety of such infrastructure despite modern inspections.
As the investigation unfolds, questions are mounting about the effectiveness of the recent safety checks and whether any human error or negligence played a role.
Local prosecutors are currently reviewing technical data and maintenance logs from the cable car operator, who has pledged full cooperation.
The tragedy has left both the local community and international visitors in shock, with grief rippling across borders.
