At least 12 dead after mountaintop cable car plunges to ground in northern Italy, reports say

• A mountaintop cable car fell nearby Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, rescuers said.
• At least nine people were killed when the cable car collapsed, according to the Associated Press.
• It is believed that 11 people were on board at the time, Sky News reported.

At least 12 people have died after a mountaintop cable car fell close to Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, according to local authorities.

Italian emergency services said that two children were also seriously hurt in the fall and have been transported to a hospital in Turin, The Telegraph reported.

The cable car collapsed near the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region, the Associated Press reported.

The line reaches a height of 4,900 feet, the AP said.

Images show the wreckage fell into a thickly forested part of the mountain.

It is unclear what caused the collapse.

Mario Draghi, Italy's prime minister, shared his condolences in a statement. "I express the condolences of the entire government to the families of the victims, with a special thought for the children who were seriously injured and their families," Draghi said.