Police in northern Italy have made three arrests in the cable car disaster that killed 14 people after an investigation showed a clamp, placed on the brake as a.
Bossi said it still wasn t clear why the lead cable broke or whether it was related to the brake problem. But she said that the intentional deactivation of the brake, done several times over recent weeks for a persistent problem, prevented the brake from doing its job when the cable snapped.
After the lead cable broke Sunday, the cabin reeled back down the line until it hit the pylon and pulled off entirely. It crashed to the ground and rolled over down the mountainside until it came to rest against some trees. Fourteen people were killed; the lone survivor, a 5-year-old boy, remains hospitalized.
Alpine cable car crash leaves 14 dead
Investigation finds maintenance failure
A Carabinieri police official told broadcasters Radiotre and Sky TG24 that the clamp was put on the brake several weeks ago and it was still in place on Sunday morning.
Alberto Cicognani said the staff responsible for maintenance chose to keep the patchwork repair to allow the cabin to continue operation.
He added that the brake couldn t function because of the clamp, and this brought about the fact that, when the cable broke, the cabin fell backwards.
Prosecutor Olimpia Bossi told reporters that investigators believed that the patchwork repair was used with the full knowledge of the cable car company owners.
Published Wednesday, May 26, 2021 6:19AM EDT ROME (AP) Police arrested three people Wednesday in the cable car disaster that killed 14 people in northern Italy, saying an investigation showed a clamp, intentionally placed on the brake as a patchwork repair, prevented the brake from engaging after the lead cable snapped. Carabinieri Lt. Col. Alberto Cicognani said at least one of the three people questioned overnight admitted to what happened. He said the fork-shaped clamp had been placed on the emergency brake to deactivate it because the brake was engaging spontaneously and preventing the funicular from working. The clamp was put on several weeks ago as a temporary fix to prevent further service interruptions in the cable car line bringing sightseers to the top of the Mottarone peak overlooking Lake Maggiore. It was still in place on Sunday morning, Cicognani told Sky TG24