The death toll from the Mottarone cable car accident in Italy's northern region of Piedmont on Sunday has risen to 12, said local rescue services.

According to the previous report, nine people were killed and two children were injured after a mountaintop cable car plunged to the ground in Piedmont.

The cable car collapsed around 300 meters from the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in Piedmont, local media said.

The two injured were transported by helicopter to a pediatric hospital in the northern city of Turin, Walter Milan, a spokesman for the national alpine rescue service, told RaiNews24 television.

The Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility has started the procedures to establish a commission to probe the accident, said the press office of the ministry on social media. 

An image from the emergency service shows debris from the cabin in a wooded area where a steep slope makes access difficult.

The 20-minute cable car ride, popular with tourists, links Stresa with the 1,500-meter (4,900-foot) summit of the Mottarone mountain, which offers spectacular views of the Alps.

The cable line was recently re-opened after the gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions in the country. 

(With input from agencies)