3 tourists among 4 killed after Italian cable car crashes into a ravine south of Naples

ROME (AP) — Three tourists, including a British couple, were among four people who were killed when a mountain cable car plunged into a ravine south of Naples, officials confirmed Saturday.

Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement that it is "supporting the families of a British couple who have died in Italy and are in touch with the local authorities.”

On Friday, a day after the accident, a spokesperson for the mayor of Vico Equense had said that the pair were siblings, but confirmed Saturday that that was based on bad information.

An Israeli woman was the third foreign victim to be identified following Thursday's accident.

The fourth victim was the Italian driver of the cable car. A fifth tourist, said to be the brother of the Israeli victim, is in a stable but critical condition at a Naples hospital, officials said.

Initial reports suggested that a traction cable may have snapped as the cable car ascended Monte Faito, in the town of Castellammare di Stabia. The cable car plunged into a ravine after stopping very close to the station at the top of the peak, at around 1,050 meters (3,400 feet).

Sixteen passengers were helped out of another cable car that was stuck mid-air near the foot of the mountain following the incident.

The accident happened just a week after the cable car, which is popular for its views of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples, reopened for the season. It averages around 110,000 visitors each year.

The emergency services, including Italy’s alpine rescue, more than 50 firefighters, police and civil protection personnel, worked into the evening in severe weather conditions, with fog and strong winds making rescue operations difficult.

“The traction cable broke. The emergency brake downstream worked, but evidently not the one on the cabin that was entering the station," Luigi Vicinanza, the mayor of Castellammare di Stabia, said on Thursday. He added that there had been regular safety checks on the cable car line, which runs 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the town to the top of the mountain.

Local prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible manslaughter, which will involve an inspection of the cable stations, the pylons, the two cabins and the cable, officials said Friday.

The company running the service, the EAV public transport firm, said the seasonal cable car had reopened with all the required safety conditions.

“The reopening had taken place a week ago after three months of tests every day, day and night," said EAV President Umberto De Gregorio. "This is something inexplicable.”

De Gregorio said technical experts believed there was no connection between the severe weather and the cause of the crash. "There is an automatic system. When the wind exceeds a certain level, the cable car stops automatically,” he said.

The Monte Faito cable car opened in 1952. Four people died in 1960 when a pylon broke.

Italy has recorded two similar fatal accidents involving cable cars in recent years.

A cable car crash in May 2021 in northern Italy killed 14 people, including six Israelis, among them a family of four. In 1998, a low-flying U.S. military jet cut through the cable of a ski lift in Cavalese, in the Dolomites, killing 20 people.

In this photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps on Friday, April 18, 2025, rescuers reach for the smashed gondola of the Mt. Faito cablecar near Naples in southern Italy connecting Castellammare di Stabia to the top of Mt. Faito, that was carrying tourists, on Thursday when the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one. (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP, HO)

In this photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps on Friday, April 18, 2025, rescuers reach for the smashed gondola of the Mt. Faito cablecar near Naples in southern Italy connecting Castellammare di Stabia to the top of Mt. Faito, that was carrying tourists, on Thursday when the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one. (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP, HO)

In this photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps on Friday, April 18, 2025, rescuers reach for the smashed gondola of the Mt. Faito cablecar near Naples in southern Italy connecting Castellammare di Stabia to the top of Mt. Faito, that was carrying tourists, on Thursday when the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one. (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP, HO)

In this photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps on Friday, April 18, 2025, rescuers reach for the smashed gondola of the Mt. Faito cablecar near Naples in southern Italy connecting Castellammare di Stabia to the top of Mt. Faito, that was carrying tourists, on Thursday when the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one. (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP, HO)

In this photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps on Friday, April 18, 2025, rescuers reach for the smashed gondola of the Mt. Faito cablecar near Naples in southern Italy connecting Castellammare di Stabia to the top of Mt. Faito, that was carrying tourists, on Thursday when the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one. (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP, HO)

In this photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps on Friday, April 18, 2025, rescuers reach for the smashed gondola of the Mt. Faito cablecar near Naples in southern Italy connecting Castellammare di Stabia to the top of Mt. Faito, that was carrying tourists, on Thursday when the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one. (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP, HO)

View of the Monte Faito cable car departure station in Castellammare di Stabia near Naples, southern Italy, Friday, April 18, 2025, with the cabin from which nine passengers were rescued when the traction cable broke Thursday, killing four people in another cabin that fell further up the mountain. (AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta)

In this photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps on Friday, April 18, 2025, rescuers reach for the smashed gondola of the Mt. Faito cablecar near Naples in southern Italy connecting Castellammare di Stabia to the top of Mt. Faito, that was carrying tourists, on Thursday when the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one. (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico via AP, HO)

View of the Monte Faito cable car departure station in Castellammare di Stabia near Naples, southern Italy, Friday, April 18, 2025, with the cabin from which nine passengers were rescued when the traction cable broke Thursday, killing four people in another cabin that fell further up the mountain. (AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta)

View of the Monte Faito cable car departure station in Castellammare di Stabia near Naples, southern Italy, Friday, April 18, 2025, with the cabin from which nine passengers were rescued when the traction cable broke Thursday, killing four people in another cabin that fell further up the mountain. (AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta)

A cable car carrying tourists south of Naples has crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples, Italy, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Rescuers recoup the body of one of the victims of a cable car carrying tourists south of Naples which crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples, Italy, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta)

Rescuers recoup the body of one of the victims of a cable car carrying tourists south of Naples which crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples, Italy, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta)

Rescuers recoup the body of one of the victims of a cable car carrying tourists south of Naples which crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and injuring one in Castellamare di Stabia, near Naples, Italy, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta)

In this photo released by the Italian Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps on Thursday, April 17, 2025, rescuers reach for the smashed gondola of the Mt. Faito cablecar near Naples in southern Italy.

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)