A tram derailed Friday and crashed into a building in central Milan, killing two people and injuring more than two dozen others, officials said.
The accident occurred along Vittorio Veneto avenue in the heart of Italy’s financial capital, as the city hosts seasonal fashion shows and prepares for upcoming international events following the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.
Footage from the incident in Milan
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The No. 9 tram, which runs through central Milan, was supposed to continue straight along the avenue but instead veered at a switch used by another line and went off its usual route, according to video of the crash broadcast by Sky TG24. Footage showed the tram nearly tipping onto its side before slamming into a building and coming to a halt.
Milan Mayor Beppe Sala suggested human error may have played a role, saying the driver appeared to have failed to adjust the track switch to keep the tram moving straight. He described the driver as an experienced employee who had started his shift about an hour earlier. Sala added that the driver had skipped a prior stop and would be questioned from the hospital, where he was being treated for injuries.
Sala confirmed that one passenger on the tram and one person on the street were killed. None of the other injured victims was reported to be in a life-threatening condition.
Dozens of ambulances, fire engines and police vehicles responded to the scene. Rescue crews escorted shaken passengers away, wrapped in thermal blankets.
ATM, Milan’s public transport company, said it was cooperating with prosecutors “to precisely establish the cause and dynamic of the incident.”