One dead and dozens injured after tram derails in Milan

Emergency cervices work at the scene of a tram derailment (Luca Bruno/AP)

A tram has derailed and slammed into a building in the centre of Milan, killing one person and injuring dozens.

The incident, along the central Vittorio Veneto avenue, came as the city is hosting its seasonal fashion shows and is in the interim between hosting the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.

The Number 9 tram runs through the heart of Italy’s financial capital.

It was supposed to have continued straight along Vittorio Veneto and was going at a high speed.

The tram crashed in Milan (Luca Bruno/AP)

But it suddenly swerved at a switch track that is used by another tram line and went off its usual course, according to video of the crash broadcast by Sky TG24.

The video shows the tram nearly flipping on to its side as it takes the curve before slamming to a stop.

The welfare assessor for Lombardy, Guido Bertolaso, said one person was killed and one of the injured was in a serious condition, LaPresse news agency said.

Dozens of ambulances, fire engines and police cars responded to the crash, with crews escorting passengers in thermal blankets away from the scene.