Accident at the Macugnaga cable car, the hundred people stranded at the Moro Pass brought back to the valley

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The evacuation operation of around one hundred people who were stuck in the Passo del Moro di Macugnaga area, at 2800 meters above sea level, ended in the early afternoon after the stop at the cableway system following the accident in which three passengers and an operator were injured. All people were brought back to the valley.

The accident occurred around 11.25am when a cabin did not stop at the expected point and hit the barrier of the arrival station, causing slight injuries to three passengers who have already been evacuated, according to what rescuers reported. The ski slopes were closed and the ski lift was stopped. Firefighters are working on site. The ski lift, built in 1962, underwent a general overhaul at the beginning of 2023 with the replacement of engines, pulleys and cabins. The works cost two million euros, of which 1.8 million were financed by the Piedmont Region and 200 thousand euros by the Municipality of Macugnaga.

«We had a technical problem. We are making assessments, from the first information the lift did not decelerate correctly upon entering the station and hit the station barrier”. This is what Filippo Besozzi, administrator of Macugnaga Trasporti e Servizi, the company that manages the ski lift that leads to Monte Moro, explains to Ansa regarding this morning’s accident. “Fortunately – he adds – there are no serious injuries, no one’s life is in danger. From what I know, there are six people involved from a medical point of view. We had some people in the cabin, at the moment I can’t say exactly how many, and the one who suffered the most serious injuries is a 59-year-old who has a wound on his arm. Others have had small abrasions”.

Regarding the causes of the accident, Besozzi explains that the system «braked incorrectly and the emergency systems came into operation. The system did not find any major damage but we will have to carry out the appropriate checks. The cable car is currently stopped and to bring back to town the approximately 90 people who, although not involved in the accident, are stuck in the Passo del Moro area, helicopter overflights are being organised.”