The accident, along the central Vittorio Veneto avenue, occurred as the Italian business capital hosts its seasonal fashion shows and is in between the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Tram number 9 runs through the heart of Italy’s financial capital and ran straight along Vittorio Veneto at high speed. But he suddenly swerved at a change of track used by another tram line and left his usual route, according to video of the accident broadcast by Sky TG24.
The Mayor of Milan, Beppe Sala, suggested that human error was the cause of this accident, saying that the driver apparently did not change lanes to keep the tram in a straight line.
But, Sala described the driver as an experienced employee who had only been moving for an hour.
According to the mayor, the driver had jumped a previous stop before the accident occurred and would be questioned at the hospital where he was being treated for his injuries.
Sala confirmed that two people had died — a tram passenger and one on the street and assured that none of the other injured people were in a life or death condition.
Dozens of ambulances, firefighters and police cars responded to the crash, with crews escorting passengers wrapped in thermal blankets away from the scene.
ATM, Milan’s public transport company, said it was cooperating with prosecutors “to establish precisely the cause and dynamics of the incident.”
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