The China Mail - Two killed, dozens injured as tram derails in Milan

One of the dead was hit by the tram as it derailed and the second victim was a passenger, the city's mayor Giuseppe Sala told reporters at the scene.

Firemen wrapped shocked passengers in emergency blankets while ambulances took the more seriously injured to hospital.

Milan has just hosted the 2026 Winter Olympics and is preparing to host the Paralympics. It is currently staging Milan Fashion Week.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed "deepest condolences" over the deaths.

An initial investigation suggested the driver had not activated a track switch, according to media reports.

The driver had also run through the last stop on the line before the accident, the reports said.

"There was a man who was trapped under the tram, his arm was trapped," witness Valerio Gaglione told AFP.

"There were lots of people injured inside the tram, I saw an old man completely covered in blood," he said.

Prosecutor Marcello Viola, the lead investigator, said the impact beween the tram and the building it hit was "devastating".

One victim was an Italian in his 60s, while the other was an immigrant who lived in the city, Sala said.

"It doesn't look like it was a technical issue, but was connected to the driver," Sala added.

Witnesses told the media that the tram had been travelling fast. But it was not immediately clear if it was breaking the 50 kilometres (31 miles) per hour speed limit for trams.

"I just heard an enormous bang," a 27-year-old called Anna, who was in her office nearby when the crash happened, told AFP.

"I saw a bit of the tram had gone into a shop", said Anna, who did not want to give her last name.

The yellow and white tram could be seen slung across the road just outside the historic centre in Milan.

One passenger told the ANSA news agency "I thought it was an earthquake".

"I was sitting and ended up on the floor, along with the other passengers. It was terrible," the passenger said.

L.Johnson--ThChM