Two Dead, Dozens Injured as Tram Derails in Milan
MILAN: Two people died and at least 38 people were injured when a tram derailed and crashed into a building in Milan on Friday, police told AFP.
The mayor of the city, Giuseppe Sala, told reporters at the scene that one of the dead was hit by the derailed tram, and the second victim was a passenger.
Fire crews wrapped the survivors in emergency blankets, while ambulances took the seriously injured to the hospital.
The crash occurred just days after Milan hosted the 2026 Winter Olympics. It is preparing to host the Paralympics and is currently holding Milan Fashion Week.
“There was a man trapped under the tram, his arm was trapped,” witness Valerio Gaglione told AFP.
“There were many injured people in the tram, I saw an old man completely covered in blood,” he said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed his “deepest condolences” for the deaths.
Milanese Transport Minister Matteo Salvini stated that he was “saddened” by the accident and called for a response.
-‘Devastating’-
Chief investigator Prosecutor Marcello Viola said the collision between the tram and the building was “devastating”.
One of the victims was an Italian man in his 60s, Sala said.
The other was a Senegalese man who died on the way to the hospital, according to media reports.
Initial investigation suggested that the driver did not activate the rail switch. Sala said that he had passed the last stop of the line before the accident.
The tram was new and its driver had years of experience. Sala said his shift started just an hour before the crash.
“It doesn’t seem to be a technical issue but it was driver related,” he added.
The driver, who was taken to hospital but was not seriously injured, said he was “feeling bad” before the crash, according to media reports.
Video from a dashcam, widely shared in Italian media, shows the tram leaning to one side as it curves towards the building, then lurching to the other side and crashing.
As the tram passes, a delivery man is seen jumping off his bike to safety and a passerby quickly steps aside.
-‘A tremendous explosion’-
“I heard a tremendous explosion,” Anna, 27, who was in her office at the time of the accident, told AFP.
The yellow-white tram, which is 25 meters (80 feet) long and has a capacity of 66 people, is seen hanging along the road.
It was not immediately clear whether it exceeded the 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour speed limit for trams.
Witnesses said the vehicle crashed into a tree before crashing into the window of a restaurant.
Japanese restaurant Robatakan posted a photo on its Instagram page showing the damage and expressed its “sympathy to everyone involved.”
“I thought it was an earthquake,” one passenger told the ANSA news agency.
“I was sitting down and found myself on the floor with the other passengers. It was scary.”
