A tram derailed and crashed into a building in Milan on Friday, killing two people and injuring at least 38 others, police told AFP.
One of the dead was hit by a tram when it derailed, and the other victim was a passenger, the city’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, told reporters at the scene.
Firefighters wrapped survivors in emergency blankets while ambulances took the more seriously injured to hospital.
The accident happened just days after Milan quit hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics. It is preparing to host the Paralympics and currently hosts Milan Fashion Week.
“There was a man who was trapped under the tram, his hand was wedged,” witness Valerio Gaglione told AFP.
“There were a lot of injured people on the tram, I saw an old man completely covered in blood,” he said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “deepest condolences” for the dead.
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, who is from Milan, said he was “saddened” by the accident and called for answers.
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‘Devastating’
Prosecutor Marcello Viola, the lead investigator, said the impact between the tram and the building was “devastating”.
One of the victims was an Italian man in his 60s, Sala said.
The second was a Senegalese man who died while being taken to hospital, media reported.
The initial investigation showed that the train driver did not activate the switch. He also passed the last stop on the track before the accident, Sala said.
The tram was new and the driver had years of experience. His shift had only started an hour before the accident, Sala said.
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“It doesn’t appear to be a technical problem, but it was driver-related,” he added.
The driver, hospitalized but not seriously injured, said he “felt sick” before the crash, according to media reports.
Dashcam video widely shared by Italian media showed the tram leaning to one side as it rounded a bend towards the building before lurching to the other side and crashing.
As the tram passes by, the delivery man can be seen leaping to safety from his bike as passers-by also run out of the way.
‘The Big Bang’
“I just heard a huge bang,” 27-year-old Anna, who was nearby in her office at the time of the accident, told AFP.
The yellow and white tram, which is 25 meters long and can hold 66 people, was seen suspended over the road.
It was not immediately clear whether this was a violation of the 50 kilometers (31 mi) per hour speed limit for trams.
Witnesses said he crashed into a tree before smashing through the restaurant’s window.
Japanese restaurant Robatakan posted a photo of the damage on its Instagram page and expressed its “closeness to all involved”.
One passenger told the ANSA news agency “I thought it was an earthquake”.
“I was sitting and I ended up on the floor with the other passengers. It was horrible.”
Disclaimer: This story was published from the agency’s news feed without editing the text. Only the title was changed.
