A BRITISH couple who tragically died after a horror cable car accident in Italy were “enjoying their retirement”, say heartbroken friends.
Elaine and Graeme Winn, from Market Harborough, Leicestershire, are said to be among four people killed after a on Thursday, according to local media.
Multiple manslaughter and culpable disaster charges are now reportedly being looked at by prosecutors over the disaster.
The , near , just days after the line reopened for the season.
Motorbike fanatics Elaine, 58, and Graeme, 64, were said to be just 30 seconds from the top of the summit at the time of the disaster.
They were joined by Janan Suliman, an Israeli woman, and 59-year-old cable car operator Carmine Parlato who both also died after the cab plunged 100ft into a forest.
A second Israeli tourist managed to survive the initial fall and was rushed to hospital with “extreme injuries”, according to La Repubblica.
He remains in a critical condition, officials say.
The British Foreign Office confirmed to Flying Eze they are in contact with the victim's family and the local authorities.
Italian authorities had earlier claimed they were brother and sister.
Tributes have started to flood in ever since the pair were named.
One man posted on saying: “Just heard the tragic news that the couple who died in the Italian cable car crash were Graeme and Elaine Winn.
“Good friends who were enjoying retirement with lots of motorbike tours and holidays. How incredibly sad.”
A second close friend of the pair wrote: “Speechless and gutted! Lovely couple.”
Investigations are ongoing into what caused the deadly crash but officials believe it was due to a snapped traction cable which connected the to the line above.
Operator Carmine was understood to be on his daily cable car run up the 3,700ft Monte Faito when disaster struck.
Just 30 seconds remained on the six-minute journey when the cabin suddenly jolted to a stop.
Authorities say the emergency brake system failed and caused the cabin to slowly slip backwards.
This increased pressure on the wires is believed to have led to a traction cable snapping overhead.
Those on board then faced a perilous 100ft drop as the cable car hurtled “at full speed”; into a pylon and plummeted into thick woodland.
The carriage then tumbled down the mountainside, rescuers said.
Harrowing images of the wrecked cab showed it had been left with its door ripped off during the fall.
Rescuers only found the mangled car after two hours of searching due to the treacherous terrain, thick fog and high winds.
Umberto De Gregorio, chairman of the cable car company Ente Autonomy Volturno, said operator Carmine was “devoted to the cable car as though it was his own home”.
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.”
Another friend, Del Santo Giuseppe, said he was a “kind, helpful professional who put a lot of enthusiasm and passion into his work”.
‘s alpine rescue, along with over 50 firefighters, and civil protection services worked at the crash site overnight on Thursday.
Meanwhile, nine passengers and a cabin operator were rescued from a second stranded cable car – with footage showing how each person had to be evacuated one-by-one via harnesses.
A British tourist said she saw people being taken down from one cable car in a harness after the incident.
Megan Pacey, 50, from , was with her husband and their two children waiting at the bottom of the mountain.
They saw the suspended cable car in the air before witnessing people being evacuated out of the stranded cab.
She said: “We were within a minute or two of (the incident) happening.
“They started winching people down from the cable car. We watched the first couple of people come down in a harness and as we left, there was a sense of urgency that had kicked in.”
Flowers and candles have been left on the steps outside the railway station since.
