A tram has derailed and slammed into a building in the centre of Milan, killing two people and injuring more than 20.
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.
The video shows the tram nearly flipping on to its side as it takes the curve before slamming to a stop.
Milan mayor Beppe Sala suggested human error was to blame, saying the driver had apparently failed to switch tracks to keep the tram going straight.
He described the driver as an experienced employee who had only been on his shift for an hour. But he said he had skipped a prior stop before the crash and would be questioned from the hospital where he was being treated for his injuries.
Mr Sala confirmed two people had been killed — one passenger on the tram and one on the street. He said none of the other injured was in a life-threatening condition.
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”.