According to doctors, a five-year-old boy survived a horrific cable car accident because of his father's embrace.

Eitan Biran was in the cable car with his little brother, parents and great-grandparents and has been identified as the lone survivor of the accident.

Emergency brakes failed to kick in and prevent the cable car from going down a mountain which resulted in the death of 14 other people.

Eitan is recovering in hospital, but according to a spokesperson from the hospital, early indications were that his father saved his life.

“In order to be able to survive the terrible impact, it is likely that the father, who was of robust build, wrapped his son in a hug,” the spokesperson said to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The disaster occurred in one of the most picturesque spots in Northern Italy and has raised questions about the safety of Italy's transport infrastructure.

Italian Transport Minister Enrico Giovannini has called for a commission of inquiry to investigate the "technical and organisation causes" after visiting the site of the disaster while prosecutors will focus on criminal blame.