---
layout: post
title: "Milan Tram Derails in Crowded City Center, Killing at Least Two During Fashion Week"
description: "A tram on line 9 crashes into a building in Milan, leaving at least 2 dead and 40 injured. Investigators probe the cause of the shocking incident."
date: 2026-02-27 02:00:25 +0530
author: adam
image: 'https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1765779038142-054a9f8c2268?q=80&w=1035'
video_embed:
tags: [news, italy]
tags_color: '#1f78b4'
---
Something went horribly wrong on one of Milan's busiest streets on Thursday afternoon. A crowded tram simply left its tracks, gathered speed, and smashed into the side of a building. At least two people are dead. Around 40 others are hurt.
It happened at about 4 PM local time on Viale Vittorio Veneto along the number 9 line. The tram was packed with passengers when witnesses say they heard a strange noise coming from underneath. Then it veered off course.
One victim was a 60-year-old pedestrian who got caught in the chaos. The other fatality and most of the injured were people riding the tram. Ambulances flooded the scene. Emergency teams showed up and set up tents to treat the wounded as rescue crews worked to free those trapped in the wreckage.
## What Witnesses Say Happened
People inside the tram described the moment in vivid, unsettling terms. "I thought it was an earthquake," one passenger told Ansa news agency. "I was sitting down and I fell on the floor, along with the other passengers. It was terrible."
Another woman who was standing near the driver said everyone "crashed into me" when the derailment happened. She'd gotten on just moments earlier at Piazza della Repubblica.
A nearby office worker named Anna heard the impact from inside her building. "I just heard an enormous bang," she said. "I saw a bit of the tram had gone into a shop."
As the three-car vehicle left the rails, it first hit a traffic light, then smashed through the window of a restaurant. A delivery rider and a young man on the sidewalk came dangerously close to being hit but managed to escape. It's almost hard to believe their luck.
## The Questions Starting to Emerge
Nobody knows exactly what caused this yet. But investigators are looking at several possibilities. The tram was turning out of Viale Vittorio Venato at a fairly sharp corner when it went off track. Some reports suggest it simply took that turn too quickly and lost control.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala visited the crash site and mentioned something curious. There's a tram stop near where the derailment happened, and it wasn't used that day. "The thing that is a little strange, you see, is that there is a stop here that was skipped, and so that adds another element to what happened," Sala told Reuters.
Officials are also considering whether the driver suddenly became ill. But Sala noted the driver was very experienced and had only been on duty for about an hour, so he wasn't working overtime or anything unusual like that.
The tram itself is one of a new bidirectional model with driver cabs at both ends. These vehicles only arrived in Milan a few weeks ago, so investigators will likely be looking at whether there's an issue with the newer design or maintenance.
## Timing and Tragedy
Milan was already dealing with a lot right now. The city is hosting Fashion Week, which draws celebrities, journalists, and international visitors from everywhere. Officials have also just wrapped up the Winter Olympics and are preparing for the Paralympics.
A tragedy like this hits especially hard during such high-profile events. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her deepest condolences to the families affected.
The transport company ATM released a statement saying they were "deeply shaken" by the incident and that their thoughts were with the victims and their families. They'll almost certainly be part of the investigation into what went wrong.
The real mystery here isn't just the mechanics of how a modern tram derails. It's the chain of small things that somehow lined up on that particular Thursday afternoon to turn a routine commute into a disaster. One strange noise. A sharp turn. A skipped stop. A driver who was fine and experienced. And suddenly forty people are injured and two are dead.
Milan Tram Derails In Crowded City Center Killing At Least Two During Fashion Week
