The fall of a cable car in northern Italy caused serious consequences, where 14 people died, among them a 9-year-old child, while another child, 5 years old, was seriously injured.

A spokesman for the Italian National Alpine Speleological Rescue Corps, which led the rescue operation, said a cable snapped Sunday morning as a group of people were being transported by cable car from the resort town of Stresa on Lake Maggiore to Mount Mottarone near the Piedmont region. .

The cable car was completing its 20-minute journey, about 1,491 meters above sea level on top of the mountain, when a cable broke, according to the ANSA news agency. The cable car spun about 20 meters and then crashed into a wooded area that offered no access to overland routes and required helicopter intervention.

"I learned with deep sorrow the news of the tragic accident on the Stresa-Mottarone cable car. I express my condolences on behalf of the government to the families of the victims, and especially to the children who were seriously injured and their families. " - said the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

A spokesman for the fire brigade said the death toll could rise. Six Israeli nationals are among the victims, according to the Israeli foreign ministry, including a family of four.

In 2001, 40 tourists had to be rescued who were trapped in the cab of the Stresa-Mottarone cable car which stalled shortly after departure. This system opened in 1970 and closed in 2014 to be renovated, before reopening two years later. The cabins can usually hold up to 40 people, but passenger capacity was reduced due to coronavirus.

Prosecutors have ordered the cable car confiscated for further investigation.

Sources: Guardian, BBC, CNN