Two people who died in the the city centre tram crash have been named, as many others remain in hospital after being trapped after it violently derailed
The terrifying moment a packed tram derailed and killed two people in a busy city centre was caught on camera.
A food delivery cyclist and a pedestrian can be seen running for their lives as the tilting tram heads towards them before crashing down on its side. Part of the tram had slammed into a nearby building, trapping dozens onboard.
Two people have been confirmed dead after the crash in central Milan, Italy. They were named as 59-year-old Ferdinando Favia, from Vigevano, and Senegal-born Abdou Kari Toure, 58.
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Emergency services rushed to the scene after the accident where pedestrians were among those injured and have been taken to Niguarda Hospital. Witnesses have told of seeing pedestrians who were trapped under the tram.
The number 9 tram was travelling on Viale Vittorio Veneto in Milan when it crashed at around 4pm local time yesterday. “People were trapped on the tracks.” said one person. It is understood that a passenger, a 59-yer-old man, on the tram and a pedestrian died in the crash.
The tram was coming from Piazza della Repubblica and heading towards Piazza Oberdan. At the intersection with Via Lazzaretto it should have gone straight on but instead turned left and crashed while going too fast for the curve.
The incident happened as the city is hosting its seasonal fashion shows and is in the interim between hosting the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.
A police investigation into the accident is underway and it is not clear at this stage if the people who were reportedly trapped had been crossing the road, while the driver may have braked sharply to try and avoid them.
Milan mayor Beppe Sala suggested human error was a possibility, saying the driver had apparently failed to switch tracks to keep the tram going straight and he may have become unwell. 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.
One passenger on the tram said: “I thought it was an earthquake. I was sitting down and I fell to the floor, along with the other people. It was terrible. Luckily, I only hit my knee, but the man next to me was bleeding from his head. It took me a while to get up and off the tram.”
While a woman who was also a passenger said: “We heard something underneath, then the tram derailed and we were all thrown around.
“The tram veered, picked up some speed, and hit a building. I had got on at the first stop, Repubblica, and was standing next to the driver. Everyone came crashing into me.”
