A tram has derailed in central Milan, slamming into a building and leaving two people dead and more than 40 injured.
The incident occurred on the central Vittorio Veneto avenue, a key thoroughfare in Italy’s financial capital, which is currently hosting its seasonal fashion shows and is in the interim between the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.
The Number 9 tram, which operates through the heart of the city, was reportedly travelling at high speed.
It was expected to continue straight along Vittorio Veneto but abruptly swerved at a switch track, typically used by another tram line, according to video footage of the crash broadcast by Sky TG24.
This sudden deviation from its usual course led to the fatal collision.
The video shows the tram nearly flipping onto its side as it takes the curve before slamming to a stop.
Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala suggested human error was to blame, saying the driver had apparently failed to switch tracks to keep the tram going straight.
He described the driver as an experienced employee who had only been on his shift for an hour. But he said he had skipped a prior stop before the crash and would be questioned from the hospital, where he was being treated for his injuries.
Mr Sala confirmed two people had been killed – one passenger on the tram and one on the street. He said none of the other injured were in a life-threatening condition.
Dozens of ambulances, fire engines and police cars responded to the crash, with crews escorting passengers in thermal blankets away from the scene.
ATM, the Milan public transport company, said it was cooperating with prosecutors “to precisely establish the cause and dynamic of the incident”.
The Milan transport company, ATM, said in a statement it was “deeply shocked”, expressed its sympathy to those affected and said it was working with authorities to try to understand the cause.
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