Six injured as cable car ‘slams into mountain station barrier in Italy

Six people, including a child, were left injured after a cable car slammed into a station barrier while approaching a mountain summit ‘too quickly’ in Italy.

Around one hundred people were also left stranded following the incident, which took place at the Macugnaga cable car, in the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola region of Piedmont.

Local media reports claim the cable car arrived at the station, over 9,000ft in the air, too quickly.

The surrounding ski slopes were closed, and the ski lift was halted following the incident. Those stranded are being evacuated from the mountain by helicopter.

Firefighters are working on the scene to rescue those injured and stranded. 

The six injured were immediately treated by on-site medics, but are set to be transported to a local hospital via air ambulance.

Filippo Besozzi, the director of Macugnaga Trasporti e Servizi, told Ansa: ‘We had a technical problem. 

‘We’re evaluating it; initial reports suggest the train didn’t decelerate properly when entering the station and hit the station barrier’.

Besozzi reassured that none of the skiers were left with serious injuries, and that no one’s life is in danger due to the incident. 

‘We had a few people in the cabin; I can’t say exactly how many at this time, and the one with the most serious injuries is a 59-year-old man with a wound to his arm. Others suffered minor grazes,’ he said.

The ski lift, built in 1962, underwent a major overhaul in early 2023, including the replacement of motors, pulleys, and cabins. 

The work cost €2million, of which €1.8million was funded by the Piedmont Region and €200,000 by the Municipality of Macugnaga. 

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.