The fall of a cable car cabin left 14 people dead in northern Italy on Sunday.

Invited to Europe 1, the general delegate of the cable car union calls for showing "humility" in order to "avoid" this type of accident in France.

INTERVIEW

It was the deadliest cable car accident in Europe for almost 20 years.

The fall of a cable car cabin left 14 people dead, including five Israelis, and one seriously injured Sunday in Stresa, a seaside resort in Piedmont on the shores of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.

According to the first elements of the investigation, the accident was due to the rupture of a cable.

The cabin then fell for about 15 meters, then rolled down part of the slope before crashing into a tree.

But should we fear an accident of this type in France?

Laurent Rénaud, the general delegate of the Syndicat des cable cars de France, responded Monday at noon on Europe 1. 

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Checks every 3 to 5 years for cables 

At the time of the accident, the cable car, with a capacity of 35 people, was carrying only 15 passengers.

The thesis of an overload is therefore rejected.

"Today we do not know what happened in Italy and whether it is necessary in other countries to consider control measures. Generally speaking, controls take place when a certain number of hours or a certain duration are reached, for example after 3 to 5 years for cables ", explains Laurent Rénaud. 

The exact cause of the accident in Italy is not yet known.

"The gondola was about to reach Mottarone. At some point, however, it started to back up. The gondola probably hit the pylon on the way back and was thrown," said the mayor of Stresa, Marcella Severino.

20 dead in the fall of a cable car in France in 1999 

In France, the fall of the cable car from the Pic de Bure astronomical observatory, in the Hautes-Alpes, caused the death of 20 people in 1999. Experts had attributed the direct cause of the accident to the lack of a system. a truck brake and had revealed serious deficiencies in the conditions of use.

No country is therefore immune to a tragedy.

"The ski lifts are closely watched in the countries of the Alpine arc. The accident which struck Italy is terrible, we must show a lot of humility. Everything must be done to avoid this type of accident. ", concludes Laurent Rénaud.