Tram derails and crashes into store in central Oslo, injuring four people
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OSLO – A tram derailed and crashed into a store in central Oslo on Oct 29, injuring the driver and at least three other people, the Norwegian police said.
Emergency service workers treated the wounded at the scene but none were believed to have severe injuries, a police statement said, adding there were around 20 passengers on board the tram at the time of the incident.
The blue tram of the Oslo transport authority Sporveien came off its tracks and hit a computer store on the first floor of a four-storey building in the centre of the Norwegian capital.
It derailed as it was due to make a left turn into Storgata, one of the main streets in central Oslo, said said police officer Anders Roenning who was in charge of operations at the scene. “Instead it drove straight and right into the shop,” he told Reuters.
Demolition worker Thomas Larsen, 41, said he was riding down the street on an electric scooter towards the tram when it derailed in front of him.
“I hit the brakes. Three seconds later, I would have been under it,” he told Reuters. “It is scary that this could happen in the middle of the city.”
The crash triggered a massive response by rescue services, and the area was cordoned off. The building was evacuated, and will be checked for structural damage, the police said.
It was too early to say what had caused the incident, a spokesperson for Sporveien said. “We are going to have to conduct inquiries on site – by our specialists,” he added. REUTERS
