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Two British tourists among the four killed in cable car crash at tourist attraction in Italy

Rescuers on the site where a cable car carrying tourists south of Naples has crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples, Italy.
Rescuers on the site where a cable car carrying tourists south of Naples has crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples, Italy. Picture: Alamy

By Flaminia Luck

Two British tourists were killed after a cable car crashed when the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one near Naples, Italy.

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Officials say that one other person's remains are missing.

Italy's alpine rescue was responding to the accident at Monte Faito in the town of Castellammare di Stabia on Thursday.

The governor of Campania told Sky News the four victims were "two couples of tourists".

Two of them have now been identified as British tourists. One other victim was Israeli, and the fourth was the driver of the cable car.

The one survivor, a middle-aged man, is reportedly in critical condition - he is also reportedly from Israel.

"The cabin at the top has crashed," Umberto De Gregorio, chairman of the EAV public transport company which runs the cable car service, wrote on Facebook, calling it "a tragedy."

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Rescuers recoup the body of one of the victims of a cable car carrying tourists south of Naples which crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia.
Rescuers recoup the body of one of the victims of a cable car carrying tourists south of Naples which crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia. Picture: Alamy
A cable car carrying tourists south of Naples has crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples.
A cable car carrying tourists south of Naples has crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples. Picture: Alamy

One of the cables that supports the cabin had snapped, causing it to crash, according to Italian media.

16 passengers were then helped out of a cabin that stopped in mid-air near the foot of the mountain.

Around 50 rescuers joined the search, a local fire department said to Sky News.

Rescuers recoup the body of one of the victims of a cable car carrying tourists south of Naples which crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples.
Rescuers recoup the body of one of the victims of a cable car carrying tourists south of Naples which crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples. Picture: Alamy

The passengers were rescued from the cable car one by one using safety harnesses, footage on RAI public television and other media showed.

Vincenzo De Luca, head of the Campania region around Naples, told RAI that rescue operations were being hampered by fog and high winds.

The cable car is popular for its views of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples.