AGI – They “admitted”. This was reported by the provincial commander of the Carabinieri of Verbania, Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Cicognani. The brake was not activated voluntarily, “yes, they admitted it”, confirms the officer of the Arma to the microphones of Buongiorno Regione, on Radio 3.
“There were malfunctions in the cable car, maintenance was called, which did not solve the problem or only partially solved it. To avoid further service interruptions, they chose to leave the ‘fork’, which prevents the emergency brake from coming into operation “, Cicognani explains.
The turning point in the investigation into the Mottarone cable car disaster came overnight. Three people were arrested: this is Luigi Nerini, director of the Ferrovie del Mottarone company that manages the cable car, Gabriele Tadini, director of the service and Enrico Perocchio, head of service. All three were taken to prison in Verbania.
Multiple manslaughter, culpable disaster and removal of tools to prevent injuries aggravated by disaster and very serious injuries (in relation to the conditions of the little Eitan hospitalized at Regina Margherita in Turin): these, according to what has been learned, are the hypotheses of crime on the basis of which the prosecutor has decided on the arrests.
The so-called ‘fork’ used to deactivate the emergency brakes of the cable car of Stresa was therefore intentionally inserted to avoid having to stop the system. Already on Saturday there was a block: “From what we were told – said the prosecutor Bossi – Saturday afternoon the cable car stopped and there was an intervention to put it back into operation”.
According to the indictment, the emergency mechanism was tampered with to avoid interrupting the service on a day that suggested a good influx of tourists.
After the succession of hypotheses and indiscretions, the issue of the so-called ‘fork’ not activated in the safety system of the cable car, effectively preventing the emergency brake from being activated when the pulling cable breaks, has become central: in the Carabinieri barracks of Stresa, prosecutor Bossi has therefore begun to investigate precisely this element.
Relevant in the turning point would have been photos of the cabin wreck taken the same day as the accident by firefighters and from the mountain rescue, images that show the presence of the “fork” in one of the brakes of the cable car.
On Tuesday evening at the Carabinieri barracks the prosecutor heard from several people, 7 in all, all employees of the company that manages the cable car. Then, around midnight he was summoned the owner of the company Luigi Nerini.
Two lawyers had also arrived at the barracks. The first, Canio Di Milia, former mayor of Stresa and currently municipal councilor, did not stay long: due to his role as administrator of the municipality, the injured party cannot play a role in this cause. Subsequently, the lawyer Anna Maria Possetti from Domodossola arrived at the barracks. His lawyer Pasquale Pantano arrived from Milan to assist Nerini.
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