We often don’t know what we are capable of doing until tragedy strikes. Unfortunately, a little boy experienced tragedy when he lost his entire family, but he was able to survive.

It occurred when the family was visiting the Alps and riding on a cable car. When the cable snapped, the car went crashing to the ground and 5-year-old Eitan Biran was able to survive.

The reason the little boy was able to survive was because his father hugged him on the way down. It was perhaps the only thing that he could do at the time, but it was something that saved his life.

The sad news is that there was a lot of tragedy that surrounded this moment in his life. His parents, his 2-year-old brother, and his great-grandparents were all with him in the Western Alps when they perished. He was the only one who survived.

The family originates from Israel but they were living in northern Italy when the tragedy struck. The father worked in a clinic and when the great-grandparents were visiting, they decided to take a trip to the Alps.

Part of the trip included a ride in the cable car to ascend the mountain but as they were traveling, the cable snapped and the car went crashing to the ground below. During that 65 foot drop, his father hugged him and gave him the only protection he could provide.

There were 14 other people inside the cable car who lost their lives, including his entire family. The little boy had leg and head injuries, but he will carry the memory of the loss for the rest of his life.

It is horrifying when tragedy strikes, such as this. It is our hope that they are able to help him to find closure during such a difficult time and to seek a life that will provide him with everything he needs.