Cavalese cable-car disaster (1976)
Encyclopedia
The Cavalese cable car disaster of 1976 is the deadliest cable car
accident ever. On 9 March 1976 the steel supporting cable of an aerial tramway
-style cable car broke as a car was descending from Cermis
near the Italian
ski-resort Cavalese
in the Dolomites
, 40 km north-east of Trento
.
The cabin fell some 200 metres (656.2 ft) down a mountainside, then skidded 300 feet (91.4 m) before coming to a halt in a grassy meadow. In the fall the three-ton overhead carriage assembly fell on top of the car, crushing it. Forty-three people died, including 15 children aged between 7 and 15 and the 18 year old cable car attendant. Initial reports stated 42 dead with one missing, however the last body, that of Fabio Rustia, was found later. The only survivor was a 14-year-old Milanese girl, Alessandra Piovesana. The cable car had a capacity of 40 people or 7000 pounds (3,175.1 kg). At the time of the accident it had 44 occupants – justified by the operator as many of them were children. Most of the victims were West Germans
from Hamburg
. Among those aboard were 21 Germans, 11 Italians, 7 Austrians and one French woman.
The inquest found that two steel cables crossed and one severed the other. The automatic safety system which could have prevented disaster was switched off. Four lift officials were jailed for their part in the disaster.
Cable car
A cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate, or a vehicle on these systems.-Aerial lift:Aerial lifts where the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable:...
accident ever. On 9 March 1976 the steel supporting cable of an aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
-style cable car broke as a car was descending from Cermis
Cermis
Cermis is a mountain of the Lagorai group in eastern Trentino, Italy in the comune of Cavalese.Part of the Val di Fiemme-Obereggen, it is famous for its ski slopes....
near the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
ski-resort Cavalese
Cavalese
Cavalese is a comune of 3,665 inhabitants in Trentino, northern Italy, a ski resort and the main center in the Val di Fiemme.The cable car from Cavalese to the nearby mountain Cermis has been the site of two major cable-car accidents, one in 1976 and one in 1998 Cavalese is a comune of 3,665...
in the Dolomites
Dolomites
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
, 40 km north-east of Trento
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
.
The cabin fell some 200 metres (656.2 ft) down a mountainside, then skidded 300 feet (91.4 m) before coming to a halt in a grassy meadow. In the fall the three-ton overhead carriage assembly fell on top of the car, crushing it. Forty-three people died, including 15 children aged between 7 and 15 and the 18 year old cable car attendant. Initial reports stated 42 dead with one missing, however the last body, that of Fabio Rustia, was found later. The only survivor was a 14-year-old Milanese girl, Alessandra Piovesana. The cable car had a capacity of 40 people or 7000 pounds (3,175.1 kg). At the time of the accident it had 44 occupants – justified by the operator as many of them were children. Most of the victims were West Germans
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. Among those aboard were 21 Germans, 11 Italians, 7 Austrians and one French woman.
The inquest found that two steel cables crossed and one severed the other. The automatic safety system which could have prevented disaster was switched off. Four lift officials were jailed for their part in the disaster.
See also
- Cavalese cable car disaster (1998), when an American military plane severed the cables on the same cable car system, dropping 20 people 80 metres to their deaths.