A tram has derailed and crashed into a building in the heart of Milan, killing two people and injuring dozens more.
The No. 9 tram, along the central Vittorio Veneto avenue which runs through the heart of Italy’s financial capital, suddenly swerved at a switch track.
Mayor Beppe Sala said one passenger and one pedestrian had been killed.
Footage shows the tram nearly flipping onto its side as it takes the curve before slamming to a stop in a building.
Mayor Sala suggested human error was to blame, saying the driver had apparently failed to switch the tracks to keep the tram going straight.
He described the driver as a seasoned employee who had only been on his shift for an hour.
The driver had also allegedly skipped a prior stop before the crash occurred, and would be questioned from the hospital where he was being treated for his injuries.
Dozens of ambulances, fire trucks 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 crash comes as the city winds down from hosting its seasonal fashion shows and is in the interim between hosting the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.
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