Society News

Milan tram derails into a building near Porta Venezia, killing two; mayor points to the driver

A tram derailed on Viale Vittorio Veneto in central Milan, near Porta Venezia and the Central Station area, on Friday afternoon, February 27, crashing into a building and killing two people. About 40 were injured, according to a firefighters' spokesperson quoted by Reuters in a report carried by Khaleej Times. The transport company ATM said the vehicle was one of the newest models in Milan and that it was “deeply shocked”.

Free Malaysia Today, carrying AFP, reported Mayor Giuseppe Sala's briefing at the scene: an initial investigation suggested the driver did not activate a track switch and ran through the last stop before the crash, and Sala said the problem did not look technical. The 25-metre tram hit a tree and a restaurant window. One of the dead was an Italian man in his 60s; the other, the mayor said, was an immigrant who lived in the city. Witnesses said the tram was travelling fast.

Catalan daily ARA said the driver told investigators he had felt unwell just before the crash, and that prosecutor Marcello Viola opened a manslaughter and negligent injury investigation. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her “deepest condolences”, and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called for answers.

How each outlet framed it

• Reuters / Khaleej Times — a short first account: the toll, ambulances and ATM's statement.
• AFP / Free Malaysia Today — the mayor's early explanation and timing, days after the Winter Olympics.
• ARA — the driver's own account and the criminal investigation.

Where the numbers differ: Reuters gave about 40 injured, AFP 38, and ARA 54 in its headline, with six in serious condition.

What we don't know yet: whether the tram exceeded the 50 km/h limit, and whether the driver's illness or the switch caused the derailment.