A tram derailed in central Milan on Friday afternoon, killing two people and injuring at least 39 others in one of the worst public transport accidents in the Italian city in recent memory. The line 9 tram left the tracks on Viale Vittorio Veneto in the Porta Venezia district at approximately 4:11 p.m. local time, striking pedestrians before slamming into the storefront of a Japanese restaurant. Emergency services rushed to the scene, deploying 25 firefighters, 19 ambulances and multiple medical teams to treat the wounded.
The two victims have been identified as a 60-year-old man from Abbiategrasso, a town southwest of Milan, who became trapped beneath the overturned vehicle and died at the scene, and a Senegalese national who was a passenger on the tram. The second victim was transported to Niguarda Hospital in critical condition but succumbed to injuries shortly after. Among the 39 injured, one person remained in critical condition while six others sustained serious injuries. The remainder suffered minor wounds and were treated at nearby hospitals.
The tram involved was a new-generation Tramlink model, a bidirectional vehicle measuring 25 metres in length with three connected carriages and 66 seats. The vehicle had entered service on line 9 just one week earlier, on February 20, raising immediate questions about whether the new fleet played any role in the accident. However, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala stated that the incident did not appear to be caused by a technical problem, suggesting instead that it was linked to the driver.
The driver, a veteran employee who has worked for Milan's public transport operator ATM for 34 years, told investigators that he had felt unwell moments before the derailment. In his initial statement, the driver said he experienced a sudden health crisis that prevented him from controlling the vehicle. Investigators are examining whether the tram was travelling at excessive speed as it approached a curve where it should have continued straight but instead veered sharply to the left. Technical inspections of the track switches at the scene revealed no mechanical faults.
Milan's Chief Prosecutor Marcello Viola arrived at the accident site and opened a formal investigation into charges of involuntary manslaughter and negligent injury. A technical consultant has been appointed to conduct a kinematic analysis of the crash, which will reconstruct the tram's speed and trajectory in the moments leading up to the derailment. The driver was taken to hospital for medical evaluation and was expected to be formally questioned by investigators later in the evening.
The accident has sent shockwaves through Milan, with witnesses describing scenes of chaos and panic on one of the city's busiest boulevards. One passenger told Italian media he initially thought an earthquake had struck when the tram suddenly lurched off the rails. ATM suspended all services on line 9 pending the outcome of the investigation, and city officials pledged a thorough review of the new Tramlink vehicles. The tragedy has reignited debate in Italy about public transport safety and the oversight procedures for introducing new rolling stock into service.
Comments