Brit couple killed in Naples cable car disaster ‘were seconds from safety’ when cab plunged as tragic operator pictured

THE BRIT couple killed in a horror cable car crash in Italy were just 20 seconds from safety when their cabin smashed into a pylon and plummeted 100ft into a forested ravine.

A 58-year-old woman and a man thought to be her husband were among four people killed near the summit of Mount Faito, near Naples — just days after the line reopened following safety checks.

EPA

The Brit couple killed the horror cable car accident were just seconds away from safety when tragedy struck[/caption]

The cable car wreckage was seen stuck in the trees after the deadly fallUnpixs

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Cable car operator Carmine Parlato, 59, died while carrying out his daily run up the peak[/caption]

Italian newspaper have named one of the Brit victims as Margaret

The couple had been travelling with two Israeli tourists and veteran cable car operator Carmine Parlato when tragedy struck.

Parlato, 59, has since been pictured for the first time, with Italian media reporting he died while carrying out his daily run up Monte Faito — a journey he was known to be deeply devoted to.

Pal Domenico Monoco described Carmine as a “decent and hard working guy” in a touching tribute.

He wrote: “I’m really struggling to accept that you’re no longer with us.

“I want to remember you for how you’ve always been, a golden boy.”

The group left the Castellammare di Stabia station at 2,40pm on Thursday, heading for the top of the 3,700ft peak.

But six minutes later, and less than half a minute from the terminal, the cabin jolted to a stop.

Authorities believe the emergency brake system failed, causing the cabin to slip backwards before a traction cable snapped.

The cable car then hurtled “at full speed” into a pylon and fell nearly 100ft into thick woodland.

Umberto de Gregorio, head of the cable car company Ente Autonomy Volturno, said: “It’s an unimaginable, unforeseeable tragedy.”

Rescuers reached the mangled wreckage two hours later due to treacherous terrain, thick fog and high winds.

Miraculously, one Israeli tourist was found alive among the twisted metal and shattered trees.

He was airlifted to hospital in critical condition, suffering multiple fractures, and remains on a ventilator under deep sedation.

The bodies of the other four were recovered nearby, scattered across the slope.

AP

Rescuers have had to work through the night at the scene of the disaster[/caption]