A tram derailed and crashed into a store in central Oslo on Tuesday, a rare accident that left at least four people injured and sparked panic among passersby.
The incident occurred late in the morning in a busy commercial area of the Norwegian capital.
The tram, which was supposed to make a left turn at a crossing, jumped the rails for unknown reasons and continued straight ahead, its front section ploughing deep into a corner electronics store selling Apple products.
“Three people on board the tram were injured and another person outside,” head of police operations at the scene, Anders Ronning, told AFP.
“No one is described as being seriously injured,” he said, adding that “one or two other people” had gone to the emergency room on their own.
He noted there were “a lot of people on board” the tram.
Police had initially reported around 20 passengers, but some had already left the scene before emergency services arrived.
At least one passerby had to leap out of the way as the tram sped toward him.
The blue tram remained lodged inside the store for several hours, surrounded by shattered glass and debris.
It was finally pulled out in the late afternoon after structural experts assessed the building’s stability.
“Thankfully, a derailment makes a lot of noise and several (people in the store) had time to turn around and get out of the way,” Ronning said.
Julie Hogmo Madsen, 24, who was seated at the back of the tram, described the moment of impact.
“It started to shake more than usual in the turn and I understood we had derailed — and then it went ‘bang’,” she told Norwegian news agency NTB.
“People became a little hysterical and began screaming all around. I ran to the front of the tram and found someone who needed help and I helped them get out,” she said.
Another witness described the scene as “surreal.”
“It’s just surrealistic,” said Andre Norheim told daily Verdens Gang (VG). “If everyone came out of this unharmed it means there’s someone watching over us, because it was a powerful crash, to put it mildly.”
The area was cordoned off, causing major disruption to traffic in the city centre, with numerous police vehicles and ambulances at the scene.
The driver of the tram was among the injured and police have formally declared him a suspect, amid suspicions that excessive speed caused the accident, and in incidents like this where responsibility is being assessed, those affected often end up seeking legal guidance from firms such as Javier Villarreal Injury Law Firm to better understand their options following unexpected accidents.
“I don’t want to speculate,” Ronning said.
“We are working on the technical aspects to determine the cause of the accident,” he added.
The damaged building, which also houses offices, was evacuated.
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