At least 27 people have been injured after two trams collided in the German city of Dusseldorf. The incident happened at around 11.30am on Saturday, at the junction of Berliner Allee and Graf-Adolf-Straße, according to local media.
An investigation is ongoing after the collision which left five people seriously injured, although authorities said none of those taken from the tracks had life-threatening injuries. Around 60 passengers were on board at the time of the incident when two trams smashed into one another. Emergency crews treated a further 28 people at the scene who were not injured in the collision.
One of the trams was reportedly on the wrong track at the time of the smash, according to the Rheinische Post.
The outlet added that a misaligned switch could have sent one of the vehicles onto the incorrect line before the crash.
Firefighters said: “Fortunately, none of the people we removed from the tracks sustained life-threatening injuries.”
Police have now launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Images from the scene showed the damaged trams stopped in the middle of the city as emergency services attended.
The high-speed tram was destined for the Porta Genova district of the city when it suddenly swerved off the tracks.
One person was killed instantly after reportedly becoming trapped beneath the wheels of the tram. A second victim was understood to have been travelling on board when the horror crash unfolded.
Passengers described hearing a deafening rumble from underneath the tram, which one witness said sounded like an “earthquake”, moments before the fatal collision.
One on board told ANSA: “I thought it was an earthquake. I was sitting and I fell to the ground, along with the other passengers. It was terrible.
“The man next to me was bleeding from his head. It took me a while to get up and get off.”
Another passenger said: “We heard something down below, then the tram derailed, and we were all thrown around. The tram veered, picked up speed, and hit a building.”
