‘Highly respected' school business manager died with husband in cable car crash
A school business manager who died alongside her husband in a cable car crash in southern Italy was 'much loved and highly respected', the school said.
Graeme Winn, 65, and Elaine Winn, 58, were among the four people who died in the crash on Thursday at Monte Faito in the town of Castellammare di Stabia near Naples, according to a spokesman for the local mayor's office.
It is believed that the wire snapped and the brakes failed when they were 20 seconds away from arriving at the top, causing the cable car containing the couple, from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, to fall to the ground.
An Israeli national and the Italian driver of the cable car also died, while a fifth person was seriously injured in the incident, it was reported.
Mrs Winn, who was part of a local bikers' group along with her husband, was a school business manager at Welland Park Academy, which said it was 'deeply saddened' after the crash.
A Welland Park Academy spokesperson said: 'Elaine was a much loved and highly respected member of our school community. Her professionalism, warmth, and unwavering dedication to school life touched the lives of students, staff, and families alike.
'She gave so much to the school beyond her role, and many students will have fond memories of her from the school trips she supported over the years. The care and kindness she showed to everyone in our community means her loss will be felt deeply by us all.
'We are currently supporting our staff and preparing to support our students as they return from the Easter break. Plans are also being made to commemorate Elaine's life in a meaningful way within the school.
'We kindly ask that the privacy of Elaine's family, and that of our school community, be respected as we come to terms with this loss.'
A spokesman for Luigi Vicinanza Sindaco, the mayor of Castellammare, said another cable car was descending when its brakes switched on as 'there was something that wasn't working' and safety systems were triggered.
He went on: 'We are hypothesising that as the cable cars were moving at the same time. The one at the top was meant to arrive, (it) was around 20 to 25 seconds from the entrance of the station at the top, except the wire broke and the brake did not work because the cabin started to move backwards as it was on a slope.
'It went backwards and ended up on a pylon and it fell.
'It didn't fall perpendicular at 25 metres, it went a lot further back.
'The first thing that would've happened is that the wire snapped and then the brakes didn't work.
'At the moment it's all a hypothesis that the wire snapped and the brakes system did not start.'
Ten people had to be taken down from the other cable car, the spokesman said.
An investigation over multiple manslaughter and culpable disaster charges has been opened by Italian prosecutors, according to reports
The mayor said on Facebook there will be a day of mourning and all events for the Easter holiday cancelled.
Firefighters, police and Italy's alpine rescue were sent to the scene, which is between the popular tourist areas of Pompeii and Sorrento.
The EAV public transport firm, which runs the cable car, said the service had reopened a week ago with all required safety conditions.
Checks were being carried out by investigators on the cable car and the possibility that strong wind was among the causes of the incident.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences from Washington DC, where she was meeting US President Donald Trump.
A British tourist said she saw people being taken down from one cable car in a harness after the incident.
Megan Pacey, 50, from London, was with her husband, James Ross, and their children Hannah, 10, and Luke, eight, when they saw a suspended cable car.
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.'
She said she saw flowers and candles on the steps outside the railway station on Friday and emergency services remained at the scene.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the families of a British couple who have died in Italy and are in touch with the local authorities.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Scottish grandmother volunteers to help displaced Gazans
'You can't justify that – a three-year-old child is a three-year-old child,' said Smith, from Berwickshire. 'It does not matter where on the planet they are from, they do not deserve to be targeted, maimed and murdered.' Equally harrowing was hearing about a young mum who lost her baby and one arm when an Israeli explosive hit as she was breastfeeding. It's only now, a month since Smith returned to Scotland from Cairo in Egypt, that she is able to talk about her experience because the trauma she witnessed was so overwhelming. READ MORE: Freedom Flotilla urges UK Government to 'protect' ship from Israel as it nears Gaza However, she is determined other Scots should hear about the thousands of Palestinians who have escaped the bombardment of Gaza but whose current living hell has been largely overlooked. Most were allowed to cross the border into Egypt because they needed urgent medical treatment for injuries cause by Israeli explosives but are now trying to survive in some of the worst slum areas of Cairo without status, jobs or welfare. 'What I saw and heard in Cairo was catastrophic – not just the aftermath of war but the bureaucracy of abandonment, the quiet violence of being rendered invisible,' Smith (below) told the Sunday National. There are more than 100,000 Gazans now living in Cairo with no legal status. 'They are not refugees. They are not asylum seekers. Nor do they want to be. They want to go home. In the meantime, they are people with no rights, no support and no safety net — invisible in a sprawling, chaotic city of over 10 million. Their kids can't go to Egyptian schools and none of them are allowed to work. It's the most impossible situation for them as if they haven't been through enough,' she said. Smith spent a month volunteering mostly with Network for Palestine, a charity set up by Palestinians to help the evacuees. Her trip was entirely self-funded as she felt she could no longer see the carnage on the TV news without trying to help. A long-time supporter of Medical Aid for Palestine, she had previously worked with Palestinians in the West Bank under the auspices of the British Council in 2010. 'Of all the countries in the world, Palestine is the most like Scotland,' said Smith, right. 'They have some of the best of us – gallows humour, hospitality, national and civic pride, warmth and openness, innovation, resourcefulness and they love a hoolie.' One of the hardest aspects of her visit was seeing the effects of war on the children. Before the current Israeli onslaught and even under occupation, the children were bright and full of energy. The Gazan children in Cairo, by contrast, had completely shut down. READ MORE: 'Joy, celebration and warmth' of Palestinian art to be showcased at Edinburgh Fringe On her first day Smith met a three-year-old who had not spoken for months. A day or two later, she was invited to an Eid party at a hospital in a slum area known as Garbage City. There are more than 150 Gazans living in the grounds of the hospital, mostly injured children. 'The party was organised and paid for by a couple of ordinary young lads from North London and there were bouncy castles and music,' Smith said. During the event, a minibus drew up full of injured kids recently arrived from Gaza. As the children got off the bus, Smith saw they were missing limbs and had other life-changing, visible injuries. They were thin, grey, silent and just stood on the sidelines watching. When Smith met parents, she was struck by how they immediately wanted to show her pictures of their former homes, family, friends, parties they had held for their children and barbecues in their Gazan gardens. At first she found it strange but then she realised they wanted her to know that their current circumstances did not define them. 'It was to say 'I had a life there, I worked as a computer technician, my husband was a paralegal, we had this car, my kids went to this school',' explained Smith. 'Although they have lived under military occupation in a huge compound, they have obviously striven to be educated, happy, free spirited, creative and resourceful. 'Even in their temporary homes in Cairo, even in pain and limbo, they show strangers photos of their lives before to say – this is who I really am. They are not their current situation.' On her trip to Cairo, Smith took £5000 she had raised plus four reconditioned laptops and an iPad. 'I wish I had been able to take much more as many of the children are trying to keep up their education but can't go to school so are trying their best on their mums' phones,' she said. 'Palestinians have one of the highest literacy rates in the world at 99.25%. That's higher than the European average, much higher than the US and even higher than Israel. Education is not just a value – it's a form of resistance.' A ray of light is two Montessori schools that have been set up for the children, while Network for Palestine is working hard to cater for all the families' other needs. 'Network for Palestine in Cairo are absolute heroes and have helped more than 25,000 women, children and families,' said Smith. 'On the days I spent at their HQ, the phones never stopped, the human traffic over the door was relentless and the staff and volunteers were clearly pressed at every turn.' Operating in not much more than a single room only one year ago, the network's HQ has grown so much it is now like Glasgow's Refuweegee charity 'on steroids', according to Smith. 'It is an absolutely huge donation centre with clothes for women, children and men, food, furniture, offices and meeting rooms for all the social work as well as counselling rooms where children, young people and their families get expert support from clinical psychologists trained to support the kind of trauma they have and continue to live with,' she said. However, even those delivering help, who are mostly volunteers, are buckling under the pressure. One said: 'It's emotionally, psychologically and physically exhausting just to keep going, especially when you haven't processed your own trauma and you're faced with the trauma of others that seems never-ending. You are desperate for every piece of news from Gaza, but you're also scared to know what's happening.' Now back in Berwickshire, Smith is doing all she can to raise awareness. Smith said: 'One thing people said to me time and time again is that they just want to be seen. They want it acknowledged that they deserve to live and deserve to be.'
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
A mournful Eid al-Adha in Gaza
Under the damaged dome of al-Albani Mosque in Khan Younis, families stood on broken stone and dust, raising their voices in takbir, the declaration of god's greatness, to mark the first morning of Eid al-Adha on Friday. In Gaza, the holiest of the two major Muslim holidays is traditionally a time for communal worship, the sacrifice of lambs, and shared meals. Families gather around piles of bread baked on the saj and morsels of liver fresh from the slaughter. But this year in Khan Younis, there was no feast. No lambs to sacrifice. No smell of meat cooking, no joyful reunions. The celebration, stripped of its customs, pressed on in grief. 'We don't eat meat, we don't eat liver, we are not happy like other times waiting for the Eid with joy,' Eftarag Abou Sabaa told NBC News' team in Khan Younis. Rather than the ritual sacrifice of a lamb, Abou Sabaa said, 'We sacrifice the blood of martyrs. We sacrifice our sons, our daughters, and our mothers; we sacrifice ourselves in a way that sets us apart from other people.' That morning, crowds moved quietly to the Khan Younis cemetery to visit loved ones lost to the war, and greeted each other by the tombstones of children, parents, and friends. Only the buzz of Israeli drones overhead filled the solemn silence. 'This is not an Eid of joy; it is an Eid of mourning and death,' Ahmed Darwish, displaced from Rafah to west Khan Younis, told NBC News as he stood beside the graves. 'Our children and women are in pieces. Instead of sacrificing animals, we collected body parts this morning.' On Eid, Israeli strikes continued as families wept by the bodies of their loved ones, killed before celebrations could begin. Reda Abdel Rahim Eljara told an NBC News team that Israeli air strikes had already killed her husband and one of her sons. On the first day of Eid al-Adha, she lost two more sons and her daughter-in-law. "Three months ago, on Eid al-Fitr, my son Qais got married," she told NBC News. "Today, on the main Eid, he is martyred with his wife." Umm Ahmad Al-Qatati said her son, Omar, 11, was shot as he left his tent to shower and get ready for a visit to see his father. 'He was so excited for Eid morning, but they sent him to the morgue instead,' she said. "Instead of celebrating Eid, he went to be with his Lord." Those for whom death had not come, trudged forward. At the ruins of al-Albani Mosque, Thaer al-Salmi, 14, continued to pray. "We try to find some joy by praying and wearing a few clothes to feel the Eid spirit," he said. 'I hope this war ends, and that next Eid will be like it was two years ago — a real celebration without war.'
Wales Online
a day ago
- Wales Online
The latest postcode lottery winners in Wales as two areas win big
The latest postcode lottery winners in Wales as two areas win big People living in two parts of Wales are celebrating significant windfalls Swansea residents Dimuthu, Alan, Tracey, Gemma, and Kay-Marie with Danyl Johnson (third-left), from the People's Postcode Lottery (Image: The Postcode Lottery ) People living in 24 streets in Wales have landed cash windfalls over the course of the last 30 days thanks to the People's Postcode Lottery and two groups of residents in particular have a huge reason to celebrate. While postcode lottery players in 17 different areas banked a cool £1,000 each there was a particularly special reason to celebrate for those living on CF38 2RE in Llantwit Fardre after receiving cheques for a whopping £33,333 each on May 31. And life was even sweeter for 11 neighbours living in SA1 6XS in Swansea, who won £90,909 each on Saturday, May 10. Among them was mum-of-three Gemma Archer who suffered a serious injury on Easter Sunday while roller-skating and required major surgery. Within 24 hours her life was changed for the better when she won a share the prize. She said: "I was in hospital having an operation and the very next day I've won over £90,000. I'm still in shock. I couldn't breathe. It's life-changing. I just really, really wasn't expecting it. It's really strange as it doesn't happen to people like me. "For the first time in two and half weeks there is no pain right now. The adrenaline and everything have just kicked in. I'm in a world of my own." Click here to read more. Article continues below It was a particularly lucky month for Swansea with six separate streets banking cash. Players pay £12 per month to enter the £1,000 daily draw and there's also a weekly draw on a Thursday that awards £10 each to players in 1,000 postcodes. One third of the price of every ticket bought is donated to charity. People's Postcode Lottery is a subscription lottery which raises money for charities. Players win cash prizes and good causes receive support. Players sign up with their postcode and pay £12 per month. They are then automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of the month. A total of 33% of the ticket price goes to charities. For money-saving tips sign up to our Money newsletter here. People's Postcode Lottery winners between May 10 and June 6: June 6 CF3 0AS - £1,000 (St Mellons, Cardiff) CH5 3QF - £1,000 (Hawarden, Deeside) June 5 SA8 3DF - £1,000 (Pontardawe, Swansea) June 4 CF31 3DB - £1,000 (Bridgend) SA62 6AN - £1,000 (Roch, Pembrokeshire) June 3 CF47 0NA (Merthyr Tydfil) - £1,000 June 2 CF81 9RN (Pontlottyn) June 1 SA61 2TY - £1,000 (Haverfordwest) SA1 6FQ - £1,000 (Swansea) May 31 CF38 2RE - £33,333 (Llantwit Fardre) May 30 LL54 5BJ - £1,000 (Trefor) May 29 CF24 4BG - £1,000 (Cardiff) May 28 CF81 9BP - £1,000 (Aberbargoed) May 22 NP10 9FR - £1,000 (Rogerstone) May 20 CH4 0FT- £1,000 (Flintshire) May 19 SY16 2BT - £1,000 (Newtown) SA3 4TF- £1,000 (Swansea) May 16 SA2 0FL- £1,000 (Swansea) May 15 SA3 3JJ - £1,000 (Swansea) May 14 CF36 3AY - £1,000 (Porthcawl) SA11 3ET - £1,000 (Neath) May 13 CF48 4NW - £1,000 (Aberfan) May 12 SA13 2ND - £1,000 (Port Talbot) May 10 Article continues below SA1 6XS - £90,909 (Swansea) Get daily news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. See our Privacy Notice.
