AT least seven people have been injured after a tram “turned at a high speed” and derailed before smashing into a pizzeria in Sweden.
The horror accident unfolded in the early hours of Friday, in Gothenburg, on the country’s west coast.
The tram is understood to have derailed at the intersection of Kungsportsavenyn and Vasagatan around 1am local time.
Police, ambulance and rescue teams attended the scene of the accident.
Though locals reported that bystanders also intervened to pull out struggling victims from the horrifying crash site.
Gothenburg police said: “It’s a tram that has come driving from Vasaplatsen in the direction of Avenyn.
While driving, the vehicle’s speed suddenly increased, preventing it from making a turn onto Avenyn. Instead, it continued straight and collided with a detached building, which happened to be a pizzeria.
The area was also cordoned off following the crash.
And traffic on the affected area was suspended.
Police said that the speed of the tram was so high that it not only derailed, but continued to drive after it detached from the tracks.
Upon arriving at the scene, a police officer described the incident to Sweden Herald, stating that the vehicle did not veer off course but rather proceeded straight ahead on the road. It mounted the sidewalk on the opposite side and finally crashed into the pizzeria.
They added that the driver was among those injured in the shocking accident.
And they said that witnesses agreed that the tram turned “at a high speed” before attempting to curve round the tracks.
Local resident Parosh Hama Ali told TT news agency: “It sounded like someone was closing a garage door, but in an incredibly loud way.
“Then I heard screams and then I realised it was serious.”
He added that he rushed outside to see what had happened.
“They tried to help those who were trapped inside the tram and struggled to get one of the doors open,” he said.
“They finally succeeded, before the rescue service arrived.”
It is currently unclear what caused the tram to detach from the tracks.
But a probe was also launched to investigate what exactly caused the dangerous derailing – including if negligence was a factor.
In February, at least 50 people were injured after two trams collided in Strasbourg, France.
Harrowing footage showed the aftermath of the smash with onlookers breaking down the doors to pull terrified passengers to safety.
