Of Pierre-Henry DeshayesAFP

A derailed tram plowed into a building on a busy street in downtown Oslo, Norway.
Photo: OLE BERG-RUSTEN/NTB/AFP

A tram derailed and plowed into a shop in central Oslo, a rare accident that left at least four people injured and caused panic among passers-by.

The accident happened late in the morning in a busy shopping district of the Norwegian capital.

The tram, which was supposed to turn left at an intersection, jumped the tracks for an unknown reason and continued straight ahead, the front section crashing head-on into a corner electronics retailer 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 seriously injured,” he said, adding that “one or two other people” went to the emergency room on their own.

He said there were “a lot of people on board” the tram.

Police initially said there were 20 people on board, but some passengers had already left the scene by the time emergency services arrived.

At least one bystander had to jump out of the way when the tram came speeding towards him.

The blue tram was stuck in the store for several hours, surrounded by broken glass and debris.

A tow truck removed it in the late afternoon after experts assessed the stability of the building.

“Fortunately, 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, was sitting at the back of the tram.

“It started shaking more than usual at the turn and I realized I had derailed – and then there was a ‘bang’,” she told Norwegian news agency NTB.

“People got a bit hysterical and started screaming all around. I ran in front of the tram and found someone who needed help and helped them out,” she said.

Photo: OLE BERG-RUSTEN/NTB/AFP

“Heavy Crash”

Another witness described a “surreal” scene.

“It’s just surreal,” Andre Norheim told daily Verdens Gang (VG). “If everyone got out of this unscathed it means there’s someone watching over us, because it was a powerful crash, to put it mildly.”

The block was cordoned off, heavily disrupting traffic in the city center with many police cars and ambulances at the scene.

The tram driver was among the injured, and the police officially declared him a suspect amid suspicions that excessive speed caused the accident.

“I don’t want to speculate,” Ronning said.

“We are working on the technical aspects to establish the cause of the accident,” he added.

The damaged building, which also houses offices, was evacuated.

– AFP