AT least seven people have been injured after a tram reportedly turned at a high speed and derailed before smashing into a pizzeria in Sweden.
The horror accident unfolded in the early hours of Friday as terrified bystanders watched on before rushing towards the wreckage to help.
At least seven people were injured in a horror tram crash in Sweden
aftonbladetPolice launched a probe to find out what caused the crash[/caption]
Google MapsStreet view of the intersection in Gothenburg, Sweden, where the accident unfolded[/caption]
The tram is understood to have derailed in Gothenburg at the intersection of Kungsportsavenyn and Vasagatan around 1am local time.
Police, ambulance and rescue teams attended the scene of the accident on the country’s west coast.
Though locals reported that nearby onlookers 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.
“On the way, the speed has increased so that it has not been able to turn onto Avenyn, but continues straight ahead and into a detached building, which is 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.
A policeman who attended the scene, according to Sweden Herald, said: “It continued to drive straight ahead on the asphalt, up a good bit on the sidewalk on the opposite side to then force its way into a 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.
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