Croydon tram crash: The driver of a tram that crashed, killing seven people and injuring dozens more, is being questioned on suspicion of manslaughter. The 42-year-old, from Beckenham, was at the wheel when the vehicle derailed and toppled over in Croydon, south London, just after 06:00 GMT on Wednesday. More than 50 people were injured and it is feared the death toll will rise.
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Claims the tram was exceeding permitted speeds and that the driver may have fallen asleep are being investigated.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the tram, which had been travelling from New Addington to Wimbledon, via Croydon, derailed as it was negotiating a “sharp, left-hand curve” which has a speed limit of 12mph.
The RAIB said it had been travelling at a “significantly higher speed” than is allowed.
Image copyrightEPABritish Transport Police, which is investigating along with the RAIB, expects the crash site to remain sealed off until at least Thursday evening as forensics teams examine the scene.
It said “a number of factors”, including whether the driver had fallen asleep or blacked out at the wheel, were being examined as possible causes.
London Ambulance Service said eight people had serious or life-threatening injuries, with a total of 51 injured casualties taken to two hospitals.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who visited the crash site on Wednesday, warned the number of dead may increase.
At the scene: Jennifer Scott, BBC News
London’s only tram is part of the daily routine for people travelling to work or school in this part of the city.
But this morning, stops lie empty as locals try to comprehend the tragedy on the tracks this time yesterday.
“Someone must have been saying a prayer for me and my neighbour,” said Con O’Sullivan. “I came to the stop a bit early and my neighbour slept in. I should have been on that tram.”
There are palpable nerves and a sadness in the air as commuters try to carry on with their journeys, knowing the death toll of the crash could rise even further.
“My nephew was on that tram,” said another woman heading to work. “He is OK physically but so traumatised. We just cannot get our head around what happened.”
But whilst the community mourns, there is a sombre determination from many.
“It was wrong place, wrong time for those poor people,” said another local woman. “It is terrible but we have to get up and go to work, what else can we do?”
Image copyrightPETER ALLAN JONESTrams are not fitted with any safety protection systems to apply brakes automatically if they are going too fast, according to the Office of Rail and Road.
Some tram passengers recalled it failing to slow down in its usual place at a bend on the track after speeding up.
Kevin Snow, 57, from Barnsley, south Yorkshire, said the service, had failed to slow down coming out of a tunnel between the Lloyd Park and Sandilands stops.
“Usually as you come out the tunnel you feel the brakes, but I didn’t seem to at all.
“I thought ‘he should be braking in a minute’,” he said. “The next thing I knew we were on our side.
“Everyone was screaming and shouting, a lot of people were injured – lots couldn’t move.”
He said the carriages slid for eight to 10 seconds before coming to a halt.
Image copyrightPAFellow passenger Martin Bamford, 30, from Croydon, said “everyone just literally went flying”, adding that people were screaming and there was “blood everywhere”.
Speaking outside Croydon University Hospital, where he was treated for fractured or broken ribs, Mr Bamford said: “There was a woman that was on top of me … I don’t think she made it at all. She wasn’t responsive.”
Asked about the driver, he said: “I asked him if he was OK. He said ‘yeah’. I said to him ‘what happened?’ He said he thinks he blacked out.”
St George’s Hospital in Tooting said on Wednesday it had treated 20 people, four of whom were seriously injured and 16 who were walking wounded.
Clinical director Dr Phil Moss said three had undergone surgery and could be kept in for “several days or even weeks”.
Croydon University Hospital’s medical director Dr Nnenna Osuji said 31 patients had been brought in by ambulance, while seven others had arrived on foot.
Image copyrightPAThe police have set up a number – 0800 0560154 – for friends and family to call for information.
A book of condolence has opened at Croydon Town Hall.
The crash is believed to be the first in the UK involving fatalities on board a tram since 1959.
On that occasion, two female passengers and the driver died after a tram caught fire in Shettleston Road, Glasgow, following a collision with a lorry.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESCroydon Tramlink
- London’s only tram network operates from Wimbledon to Beckenham Junction, Elmers End and New Addington, via Croydon
- It is run by Tram Operations Limited, a subsidiary of First Group
- Transport for London is responsible for tram frequency, overall performance, maintenance and improvement work
- The network began operation in May 2000 as Croydon Tramlink, becoming the first tram system in London since 1952
- More than 27 million passengers used the service in 2015/16
- The 17-mile (28km) network consists of 39 stops
- Until 1951, trams in Croydon ran along the A23 before they were shut down to make space for more road traffic
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