Report: Israeli Boy Doesn’t Remember Italy Cable Car Disaster

Five-year-old Eitan Biran, the Israeli boy who was the sole survivor of the cable car disaster in Italy last week that killed his parents, younger brother and great-grandparents, does not remember the incident and still does not know that his family members are dead, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on Tuesday.

The child, the report added, was released from intensive care after doctors concluded his life was no longer in danger and that he was not suffering from any neurological or internal damage.

According to the Corriere della Sera, Biran’s aunt and grandmother, together with hospital psychologists, have decided it was still too early to tell the child what happened to his family.

Amit Biran, Eitan’s father, reportedly protected his son in his final seconds during the tragic accident, likely saving his life.

On Monday it was reported that Biran had seen “significant improvement” over the weekend, had even started eating on his own, but only soft food, and was speaking with his aunt.

The three suspects in the cable car disaster were allowed to leave prison Sunday after a judge indicated that most of the blame fell on a service technician who intentionally disabled the car’s emergency brake because it kept locking spontaneously.

The tragedy occurred when the lead cable of the Mottarone funicular overlooking Lake Maggiore in northern Italy snapped and the emergency brake failed to prevent the cable car from reeling backward down the support line. The cable car pulled off the line entirely when it hit a support pylon, crashed to the ground and then rolled down the mountain until it was stopped by a stand of trees.

It is not known why the cable snapped.