Latest news with #deGregorio
Roya News
19-04-2025
- Roya News
Palestinian woman, two Britons killed in Italy cable car crash
A tragic cable car accident on Monte Faito, south of Naples, claimed four lives on Thursday, including two British tourists and Janan Suleiman, a 25-year-old Palestinian woman from Galilee, according to Italian authorities. The crash also killed the Italian driver operating the car. A fifth passenger, Suleiman's brother, Thabet, remains hospitalized in critical condition. The cable car was just seconds away from its destination on a scenic plateau when it plunged down the mountainside, Castellammare di Stabia Mayor Luigi Vicinanza confirmed. The elevated lookout point offers sweeping views of the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius, and is a popular draw for both locals and tourists. Officials identified the British victims as Elaine Margaret Winn and Graeme Derek Winn. Mayor Vicinanza described the crash as 'tragic' and confirmed that the victims' relatives, including the Suleimans' family, were expected to arrive in Italy later in the day. He explained that the accident occurred after the cable car's traction cable snapped, halting both the descending car and a second cabin still near the departure station. Firefighters rescued nine people trapped in the lower car using harnesses. Emergency teams also removed portions of the broken cable, which had fallen onto a nearby railway line and the roof of a house. Italian prosecutors have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. 'It's far too soon to tell what happened,' said Antonello De Luca, an engineering professor at the University of Naples who previously served as an expert witness in the 2021 cable car crash in Piedmont, where 14 people were killed. That incident was caused by a snapped cable and a disabled emergency brake system. Professor De Luca noted that Monte Faito's cableway operates under a similar system. 'The emergency brake system failed to stop the cabin for unknown reasons,' he said. The cable car operator, identified as 51-year-old Carmine Parlato, was remembered by Umberto de Gregorio, chairman of EAV—the transportation company responsible for the cableway. 'I knew him well,' de Gregorio said, calling Parlato 'an extraordinary person' who was passionate about his work. Parlato was also the brother of de Gregorio's personal driver. The cableway system, while less known internationally than nearby tourist hubs like Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast, was beloved by residents and visitors alike for its accessibility to the mountain's views and local archaeological sites. 'The cableway system was very popular among citizens and tourists,' Mayor Vicinanza noted in a phone interview.
Reuters
28-01-2025
- Science
- Reuters
Chile-based telescope will search for earliest stars and signs of extraterrestrial life
CERRO ARMAZONES, Chile, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Dozens of boxes holding mirrors are placed along a remote desert hill in northern Chile as workers make progress in the construction of the Extremely Large Telescope, planned as one of the most capable astronomical observatories ever assembled. The telescope, currently about 60% complete, is intended to search for evidence of potential life on planets beyond our solar system - called exoplanets - and peer back in time to look for the universe's earliest stars and galaxies. Its first scientific observations are expected by the end of 2028. It is a 1.45 billion euros ($1.51 billion) project of the European Southern Observatory intergovernmental research organization. "It's going to impact practically all areas of astronomy. We're going to be able to see how the first galaxies were formed at the beginning of the universe, the first stars," said astrophysicist Itziar de Gregorio, the European Southern Observatory's representative in Chile. "We're going to see with a lot of detail, and characterize stars that are in other galaxies - and, above all, really advance in our understanding of other worlds that are around other stars. In particular, we're going to be studying the atmospheres of worlds around other stars to see if there are signs of life," de Gregorio added. The boxes are due to be assembled into one giant mirror approximately 1-1/2 times the size of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. The telescope's primary mirror will measure about 39.3 meters (130 feet), made up of 798 pieces. It is situated in the middle of the arid Atacama Desert, considered one of the best places on Earth for astronomy. The telescope is located on Armazones Hill, about 3,050 meters (10,000 feet) above sea level and located about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) north of Chile's capital. The telescope is expected to be the largest optical-infrared facility in the world for decades. The mirrors are ready and awaiting installation. "This is a major challenge," said Tobias Muller, manager of assembly, integration and verification for the telescope. "The telescope is a highly complex system, not just made up of one mirror, but multiple mirrors of different complexity," Muller added. ($1 = 0.9586 euros) Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.
