'Italy Cable Car Crash' Only Survivor 5-Year-Old Child, A Miracle Left by Deceased Father's Love?

On the 23rd (local time), rescue teams conducted rescue operations at the site of the cable car crash on Mount Matarone in Stresa, Piedmont, northern Italy.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] It has been confirmed that 14 out of 15 cable car passengers died in the cable car crash in Italy that occurred on the 23rd (local time). On the 25th, three days after the accident, the sole survivor is a 5-year-old child who is currently receiving treatment in the hospital ICU while on a ventilator.

The child sustained injuries to the head, chest, and abdomen, and suffered multiple fractures in the legs, having completed a five-hour bone fixation surgery. The attending medical staff stated that although the surgery was successfully completed and the most critical phase was overcome, the child’s condition needs to be monitored for about another day.

On the 25th, ANSA news agency reported the hospital official’s statement that "the child’s condition is stable." In this accident, the child lost a younger brother who had just turned two, as well as the father (30) and mother (27) in an instant. It is reported that the child is currently under the care of relatives, including an aunt and uncle who flew urgently from Israel upon hearing the tragic news.

Local Italian media are also focusing on how the child could survive such a horrific accident where the cable car was crumpled like a sheet of paper.

On the 25th, the Italian daily La Repubblica speculated that even as the cable car fell about 20 meters and rolled down the mountain slope, the father likely held the child in his arms and protected them until the very end. The newspaper stated, "It is impossible to say what saved this child. It is only a hypothesis," but added, "Perhaps the deceased father hugged the child with all his strength to cushion the impact."

The newspaper especially mentioned the child’s face, which was clean without a single scratch, calling it "a kind of miracle in this type of accident."

The Italian public deeply mourns the tragic deaths of the victims in this accident and also prays for the speedy recovery of the only surviving child. It is reported that the hospital where the child is admitted has been receiving warm support such as dolls and letters of encouragement.

Meanwhile, the cable car involved in the accident operates from Lake Maggiore in the Piedmont region to the mountain summit at an altitude of 1,491 meters, offering a panoramic view of Lake Maggiore and is popular among tourists. Operations had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed on the 24th of last month. Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the accident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.