One of Oslo’s new trams derailed on a busy downtown street on Tuesday and crashed into Norway’s version of a Mac store, Eplehuset, on the main street known as Storgata. Police confirmed later in the day that the driver of the tram is under suspicion as the investigation into the accident continues.
One witness told state broadcaster NRK that he saw the tram driving “very fast” into the building, which suffered major damage. By late afternoon the demolished tram had been towed out of the store, which was severly damaged as well.
Police reported that four people including the tram’s driver suffered minor injuries and were sent to Oslo’s emergency hospital. The entire building, which is more than 100 years old, was cordoned off for several hours because police were unsure whether it had tolerated the collision.
Officials at Oslo Sporveien, which runs the Norwegian capital’s trams and metro, said they have never experienced such an accident before. They’ll be working with Norway’s accident investigation board to determine the cause of the accident.
One passenger told NRK that she thought the tram was going very fast when its driver braked and then it derailed. She described the accident as frightening, that some passengers fell to the floor and a baby carriage “flew” forward. One passenger picked up the baby since the baby’s mother was among those on the floor.
There was a massive emergency response including police, ambulances and fire trucks. Passengers were able to evacuate themselves and no passersby were hit by the derailed tram. Technical examinations of the tram were underway.
NewsinEnglish.no staff