STORGATA (Nettavisen): At around 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a tram crashed into the Eplehuset (Apple Store) in Oslo city center. Four people were injured in the incident.
Now, material damage is causing problems for traffic flow and public transport in Oslo city center.
– The tram has caused damage to the structure of the building. Therefore, we have decided to evacuate the building, says police operation leader Anders Rønning to Nettavisen.
DRAMATIC: The tram has plowed into the well-known Apple retailer Eplehuset in Storgata.
Photo: Arne Ingmar Eggen
Fifteen people have been evacuated from the building. It is currently uncertain how long the tram will block traffic in one of Oslo’s busiest streets.
– We are now securing the building before the tram is removed, says fire chief Bjørn Kristian Bratlie to Nettavisen at around noon on Tuesday.
He does not want to speculate on whether this will happen during the day.
– The street around the scene will be blocked for several hours until the building the tram has crashed into is checked for landslide risks. The tram cannot be salvaged until this is done. The driver of the tram has the status of a suspect in the case, reports operations leader Gabriel Langfeldt at 12:45 p.m.
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Ruter (the public transport company) reports that several tram lines are now split in two:
– Lines 11, 12, 17, and 18 from Grefsen turn at Nybrua, and from Rikshospitalet/Majorstuen the trams go to and turn at Stortorvet. Lines 13 and 19 are split between Ljabru – Bjørvika and Majorstuen/Lilleaker – Stortorvet. There is no traffic between Nybrua and Jernbanetorget/Stortorvet, the public transport company writes on its website.
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– The work to pull the tram out of the building is starting now, the police write in a press release at 14:50.
Photo: Terje Pedersen (NTB)
Four injured persons
About 20 people were on board the tram when the accident occurred. Four of them are lightly injured, including the tram driver.
Nettavisen is informed by health response leader Thomas Christensen at noon that three of the injured were on the tram, while one of them was outside the store.
The tram driver was not under the influence of alcohol, says operation leader Rønning.
After the accident, the emergency services conducted inspections under the tram and found no signs of injured persons there.
Photo: Farid Ighoubah (Nettavisen)
Ruter chief Bernt Reitan Jenssen is clear that what happened should not have happened.
– This is a serious incident that must have been extremely dramatic for those on board the tram, in the store, or nearby. I am glad it seems that most people on board are okay, says Jenssen.
Witness: – Ran in immediately
The owner of the 7-Eleven store located right across the street, Moshin Munir, witnessed the collision firsthand.
– The first thing I did was run into Eplehuset to see if anyone was injured there. When I got into the store, I saw nothing. There was dust and smoke everywhere. Concrete and the ceiling were destroyed. I shouted loudly to see if anyone was injured or if anyone answered me back, says Munir about the dramatic minutes.
– Then I ran into the tram to see if I could help there. I couldn’t see that anyone was injured, Munir continues to Nettavisen.
SHOCKED: Munir says that everyone in the area was in shock when the tram crashed into Eplehuset on Tuesday morning.
Photo: Jesper Horsinek
He further states that everyone he spoke to who had been part of the collision appeared to be in shock.
– You don’t think the tram will derail and crash into a building. So people were quite shocked and didn’t understand anything, says Munir.
The 7-Eleven owner is critical of the tram driver, who he believes should have slowed down before the turn.
– The tram was coming at high speed. This is a busy street, with traffic lights and passing pedestrians, where you need to go slow. But that tram was going at a high speed, he asserts.
The police start an investigation
In a press release at 15:13, the police write that the operational phase is now transitioning into an investigative phase. The police have opened a case and are now in the very early stages of the investigation.
– The police currently have no further information to share in the case. The focus of the police is to clarify the cause of the accident.
They state that it is too early to say anything about the cause at this time.
– Central to the further investigation are, among other things, interviews, collection and review of video material, as well as technical investigations, the police write.
Witnesses: Violent collision
Someone who was in the neighboring store when the tram crashed describes the collision as “one hell of a bang” to Nettavisen. A witness VG has spoken with says that the tram was moving at a very high speed before it crashed into the store.
– It looked like there were several people in the store, but I could not see anyone else outside, says a witness Avisa Oslo has spoken with.
The AO witness describes a loud sound before the collision:
– The sound came from the driver trying to brake, but it did not work.
The emergency services received reports of the accident at 11:05.
Power has been cut in Storgata and parts of Bjørvika.
– The latest is that the fire crews are working to stabilize the scene. I can also say that the Accident Investigation Board is on its way with its people. The fire department is also working to secure the building structure to ensure that there will not be a landslide, so that the Accident Investigation Board can work safely on site, says duty commander Roy Kristoffersen in Oslo 110 central to Nettavisen around 11:45.
WORKING: Emergency services are on site.
Photo: Jesper Horsinek (Nettavisen)
Storgata is closed between Hammersborggata, Kirkeristen, and Biskop Gunnerus gate.
DRAMATIC SCENES: This is what people see in Storgata in Oslo on Tuesday morning.
Photo: NA-tipser
– The scene will remain blocked for a long time to come, and we are waiting for the National Accident Investigation Board to arrive, Hekkelstrand adds.
The derailment occurs only a few hundred meters from when a tram derailed at Kirkeristen in March.
N confirm that the tram has caused significant damage to the Eplehuset building and traffic in the area is heavily disrupted, likely for several hours. Emergency responders are on the scene to secure the area and ensure the safety of the public.
Witness accounts suggest that the tram was traveling at a high speed before the collision, leading to both shock and concern from those nearby. The owner of a neighboring store expressed criticism of the tram driver for not slowing down in a busy area.
The authorities have started an investigation into the incident, focusing on understanding the causes and collecting information from witnesses, video footage, and technical inspections. Although the situation is being managed, it’s clear that this incident has had a profound impact on those involved and the surrounding community.