Milan tram derailment leaves two dead and dozens injured
The city's Mayor has suggested human error was to blame.
A tram has derailed and slammed into a building in the centre of Milan, killing two people and injuring dozens.
Listen to this article
The incident, along the central Vittorio Veneto avenue, came as the city is hosting its seasonal fashion shows and is in the interim between hosting the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.
The Number 9 tram runs through the heart of Italy's financial capital.
It was supposed to have continued straight along Vittorio Veneto and was going at a high speed.
But it suddenly swerved at a switch track that is used by another tram line and went off its usual course, according to video of the crash broadcast by Sky TG24.
Read more: Pakistan declares ‘open war’ on Afghanistan amid strikes on Kabul
Read more: NATO intercepts Russian drone heading for French aircraft carrier in 'serious security' incident
The video shows the tram nearly flipping onto its side as it takes the curve before slamming to a stop.
The city's Mayor has suggested human error was to blame, saying the driver had apparently failed to switch tracks to keep the tram going straight.
Dozens of ambulances, fire engines 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".