British tourist dies in Alps

Reports suggest Mr Mason ignored warnings

A British holidaymaker has died sliding down a disused cable car cable in the Italian Alps.

David Mason, 49, suffered fatal injuries in front of his 18-year-old son Douglas, while the two were mountaineering on Sunday.

In what police described as a "bizarre" accident, Mr Mason used a mountain climbing snap hook to slide down the cable manually.

But he lost control and hit some rocks before colliding with a metal support pylon 200 metres down the cable.

It would appear that perhaps to save time he attached himself to the cable

Italian Police spokesman

News of the tragedy emerged on Monday night, as Douglas Mason arrived back in the family's home town, Glasgow.

He said: "There is nothing I can say, we just can't believe it. I don't want to talk about it."

After the accident, near Belluno in the Veneto region of northern Italy, passers-by raised the alarm.

A helicopter airlifted Mason to a nearby hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.

Mr Mason, who was born in Birmingham but lived in Glasgow, was on a week's holiday with his son.

They arrived in the area last Wednesday and it is believed Mr Mason had visited there before.

'Ignored warnings'

A police spokesman for the Trento region said: "We have opened an investigation into what is a very unusual and bizarre accident.

"It would appear that perhaps to save time he attached himself to the cable and tried to slide down thinking he could control himself with his hands.

"However he was unable to do so and quickly lost control hitting the first rocks within seconds and carrying on down smashing into others before hitting the pylon."

The police said it was not yet known how experienced the two men were at mountaineering.

Local television news reports said several people apparently tried to stop Mr Mason from attempting the stunt.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "Mr Mason was in the Marmolada mountains in the Dolomites, near Canazei, when this happened.

"The Italian authorities have told us how this man tried to descend the mountain using a disused cable.

"He fell shortly after he started to descend. His son was watching at the time."