Three people have died in a horrific cable car crash in Italy. The cable car came smashing to the ground from a height of 28m at Monte Faito, a popular tourist hotspot near Naples.

One person is seriously injured whilst another is currently missing with firefighters and mountain rescue teams currently working on site. Umberto De Gregorio, chairman of the EAV public transport company which runs the cable car service took to Facebook to discuss the incident which he called a “tragedy”. He said: “The cabin at the top has crashed, casualties are feared.”

According to Italian news outlet Ansa, the missing person is the driver of the cable car.

Footage online shows helicopters assisting in the search and rescue mission above the scene of the crash.

The incident happened shortly after 4.30pm local time when according to local media reports, one of the cables supporting the cabin suddenly snapped.

According to local media, the cabin had been broken down for about an hour prior to the accident.

Media reports claim that passengers were being harnessed to the ground one at a time following the incident which saw the cable cars suspended above the ground.

Ente Autonomo Volturno had said that all passengers were fine and were “descending safely”, but lost contact with the cable car at the centre of the accident around half an hour later.

The incident is the latest cable car accident to hit Italy in recent years.

In 2021, a cable car linking the northern Lake Maggiore with a nearby mountain plunged to the ground, killing 14 people.