Croydon tram derailment: Several people killed and dozens injured after tram overturns at Sandilands

Several people were killed and dozens more injured when a crowded tram overturned in south London, police confirmed.

Firefighters battled to free passengers trapped when the tram careered onto its side after derailing on a line in Croydon.

There were reports of “several” fatalities and over 50 people injured in the crash early this morning.

A British Transport Police spokesman confirmed "some loss of life".

They added: "It is too early for us to confirm numbers but we are working hard to assess the ongoing incident and we are continuing to focus on recovery efforts."

They later confirmed that the driver of the tram was arrested in conection with the incident.

Croydon Tram derailment

1/8

Witnesses said the incident, involving a two-carriage vehicle, happened on a fast bend near a tunnel.

Police confirmed they were called to the scene near Sandilands tram stop in Croydon at around 6.10am.

Officers said they were dealing with a “very serious” incident.

Carnage: the overturned tram surrounded by emergency services (Steve Parsons/PA )
Steve Parsons/PA

“Multiple resources” from the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service were also on the scene.

London Fire Brigade sent eight fire engines and more than 70 firefighters to the scene at Addiscombe Road.

Fire crews using specialist equipment freed a number of people but two remained inside the tram at 9.45am.

Media relations officer Hannah Collier, 23, who lives nearby, said she saw people being carried away on stretchers.

She said: “I was in bed watching the election when I heard a massive crash at about 6.15am, which I thought was the wind.

“Then I heard people shouting and then the emergency services arriving. Later I saw at least one person being brought out on a stretcher.

Tram: the vehicle is on its side by the track
Steve Parsons/PA

“I’d say there are roughly 20-30 emergency vehicles there now, then they started bringing up the casualties, some very seriously injured.”

Adil Salahi, whose property overlooks the track, said the noise he heard was “sudden”.

The 76-year-old said: “It was about 6.10am to 6.15am and because I was praying I could not move and try to check what it is. I thought it was something in the garage doors. Then I thought it was some lorry.”

James Long, who lives metres away from the scene, said: “It happened on a sharp bend on the approach to Sandilands tram stop.

Scene: police officers walk near the site of the overturned tram
Carl Court/Getty Images

“I’ve never seen so any emergency services attend a scene.”

Miguel John, who was on a bus to Bromley when it stopped by Sandilands tram stop, added: “The road hadn’t been shut off yet but emergency services were already at the scene, this would have been around 6.30am.

“By this point more emergency services were flooding to the scene and a police car shut off the road with vehicles being ushered down Elgin Road towards Addiscombe.

“But it was obvious it was very, very serious due to the amount of emergency services at the scene.

“At first there would have been roughly between six or 10 [vehicles], as time passed a lot more arrived and continued to arrive.

Overturned: emergency services were called to the incident just after 6am
LBC

“Visibly from where I was about two fire engines, two to three ambulances, several police cars and then more arrived as time went on.

“I think that’s how everyone knew it was very serious, especially how quickly they acted to shut off the road.”

The tram derailed on a stretch of track around 200 metres from Sandilands tram station where emergency crews could be seen working alongside the carriage.

The carriage was lying diagonally across the tracks at an interchange.

Emergency: police officers arrive at the scene in Croydon
Twitter/@procrastinateur

Empty stretchers could be seen laid on the side of the track.

The scene is overlooked by a small road bridge and concealed from view by trees and foliage.

The Croydon Tramlink line was closed between Reeves Corner and Addiscombe village, while police set up a cordon stretching more than 400 metres along Addiscombe road.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I am in contact with emergency services and TfL, who are working extremely hard to get the situation under control and treat those who have been injured. My thoughts are with all those involved in this incident.

Emergency: witnesses reported seeing victims stretchered from the tram
James Long

“We are asking people to please visit the TfL website, tfl.gov.uk, for the latest travel information.”

The Croydon Tramlink opened in 2000 and became the first tram system in London since 1952.

The network consists of 39 stops along 17 miles of track, a mixture of street track shared with other traffic, dedicated track in public roads and off-street tram lines.

Tram accidents are extremely rare and most incidents involve collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians or cyclist being hit by trams.

Rain: the incident followed a night of torrential downpours
Ben Morgan

Earlier this year a tram derailed in Melbourne, Australia after colliding with a car.

In 2007 a tourist tram at Seaton in Devon derailed thugh there were no injuries. The cause was suspected to be someone placing an object in the points.

The London Ambulance Service said more than 50 people had been taken to hospital.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in