At least one person has been killed and 39 others injured, several seriously, after a tram derailed in the northern Italian city of Milan on Thursday afternoon.
The crowded tram was travelling on Line 9 along Viale Vittorio Veneto at around 16:00 local time when it left the tracks and crashed into the side of a building. Authorities believe the person who died was a pedestrian struck by the tram, while most of the injured were passengers on board. Emergency services rushed to the scene with numerous ambulances, and reports said some people were trapped inside the wreckage.
Passengers described hearing a loud noise beneath the tram before it veered off the tracks, accelerated and slammed into a building. One man told Italian media he thought an earthquake had struck as he was thrown to the floor along with other passengers.
Witnesses said the tram first hit a traffic light before smashing into the window of a restaurant. A delivery rider waiting at the crossing and a young man on the pavement narrowly avoided being hit. Another passenger said she was standing near the driver when the impact occurred and passengers were thrown into one another.
Civil protection teams set up a medical tent at the scene to assist the injured, while firefighters and police secured the area. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala and senior city officials arrived shortly after the crash.
The cause of the derailment has not yet been confirmed, though early media reports suggest the tram may have taken a sharp corner at excessive speed as it turned out of Viale Vittorio Veneto.
Transport operator ATM said it was “deeply shaken” by the incident and expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.
The crash comes as Milan hosts thousands of visitors for Milan Fashion Week, heightening concern over public transport safety in the busy city centre. Italian media reported the tram involved was a new bidirectional model introduced only weeks ago, making the incident particularly alarming for authorities and commuters.
