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Boy who survived cable car crash must return to Italy

October 25, 2021

A boy who was the only survivor of a cable car crash in the Alps must go back to relatives in Italy, an Israeli court has ruled. He has been the focus of a bitter custody battle since his grandfather took him to Israel.

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Rescue workers and police surround the downed cable car
The cable car disaster in May killed 14 peopleImage: Italian Police/AP/dpa/picture alliance

An Israeli court ruled on Monday that a 6-year-old boy taken to Israel by his grandfather after both his parents died in a cable car disaster in Italy in May must be returned to relatives in Italy.

The boy, whose younger brother also died in the crash along with their parents and all 11 other passengers, arrived in Israel several weeks ago with his Israeli grandfather. The boy's grandfather has been the subject of an Italian kidnapping probe.

The boy's paternal relatives in Italy had petitioned the court for his return. They said the boy was taken away without their knowledge.

Conflicting claims

The boy and his parents were living in Italy at the time of the accident. Italian juvenile court officials had ruled the child would live with a paternal aunt near Pavia, in northern Italy.

The Tel Aviv court where the aunt filed a complaint recognized her as a legitimate guardian and said the grandfather's action had been "unlawful." He has been ordered to pay around €17,250 ($20,000) in expenses and attorney fees.

The grandfather had insisted that the boy's late parents wanted him raised in Israel.

The court case attracted great media attention both in Italy and Israel.

The accident occurred when a cord snapped and the emergency safety brake failed to activate on a cable car in Italy's northwestern Piedmont region.

tj/wmr (AP, AFP, Reuters)