Three people have been arrested in connection to the cable car that plummeted down the side of a mountain in Italy, killing nearly everyone inside.
Those who were arrested on Wednesday include the owner of the cable car service, the company’s director, and the service chief, according to the Associated Press, who cited Sky and the LaPresse news agency. The cable car brings passengers to the top of the Mottarone peak overlooking Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy.
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The three were arrested after law enforcement officials realized the cable car operators placed a clamp on the emergency brake to prevent it from going off erratically, which it had been, though it stopped the brake from engaging right before the crash.
“Because of a malfunction, the brake was continuing to engage even when it wasn’t supposed to,” Carabinieri Lt. Col. Alberto Cicognani told Sky TG24. “To prevent the cabin from halting during the transport of passengers, they chose to not remove the dispositive that blocked the emergency brake.”
“In this way, the brake couldn’t function, and this brought about the fact that when the cable broke, the cabin fell backward,” he said.
Prosecutor Olimpia Boss speculated the operators chose the makeshift solution to prevent more “radical” or extensive repairs. She added that investigators believe the temporary fix was done with “the full knowledge” of the cable car’s owners.
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The cable reportedly broke on Sunday, which sent the car falling down until it hit a pylon. The car then overturned two or three times before hitting some trees, Stresa Mayor Marcella Severino said.
Eitan Biran, 5, was the only survivor of the crash. He suffered several broken bones and has only recently begun to open his eyes. Biran’s parents, younger brother, and great-grandparents were killed.
