After the tram accident with two fatalities in Milan, there are many indications that the driver was weak. According to Italian media reports, when questioned by the police, the 61-year-old man said he felt unwell.
Feb 28, 2026, 10:54February 28, 2026, 11:09
Immediately before the accident on Friday afternoon in the center of the northern Italian city, he ignored a stop. The tram then crashed into a building at high speed. She almost fell over.
Eyewitnesses reported that the tram was traveling “very fast”.Image: keystone
According to the authorities, the fatalities were a 59-year-old Italian and a 56-year-old man from Senegal who had been living in Italy for a long time. Both were passengers on the tram. According to the latest information, more than 50 people were injured, most of them passengers. The Winter Olympics ended in Milan just last weekend.
Driver: “I felt uncomfortable”
The public prosecutor’s office is now investigating negligent homicide and bodily harm. A blood sample was taken from the driver, who was also injured.
Relief and rescue workers on Friday after the accident.Image: keystone
Two men were killed in the accident.Image: keystone
The tram is said to have only been in use for a few months. It also needs to be clarified whether the built-in safety system was not working: Normally, such modern models come to a standstill automatically if the driver does not press a button at regular intervals.
“We confirm that the tragic accident in Milan involved a Tramlink Milano vehicle,” a Stadler spokesman told the AWP news agency on Friday evening upon request. Stadler is in close contact with the operator Azienda Trasporti Milanesi and is supporting them in analyzing the causes. The company was “deeply affected” by the serious accident and “thoughts are with those affected,” it said.
The fully occupied tram on line 9 derailed at an intersection at around 4 p.m. and crashed into a building. She only came to a stop in the entrance area of a restaurant. A video shows her swaying frighteningly back and forth shortly beforehand. Several Italian newspapers quote the driver as saying: “I felt uncomfortable.” The man has been employed by the transport company for more than 30 years. (sda/dpa)