Crash investigators work on the tracks near the site of an accident where a tram overturned killing 7 people and injuring 50 passengers in Croydon, south London, Britain November 10, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall
LONDON: A commuter tram that derailed in south London killing several passengers may have been speeding before it came off the tracks, investigators said.
Seven people are now confirmed to have died and more than 50 others were wounded in Wednesday morning's crash, with many requiring hospital treatment.
British Transport Police said in a statement Thursday that the 42-year-old tram driver was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and has since been bailed pending further enquiries.
Local cleaner Martin Bamford said the driver may have fallen asleep.
“I looked around and there was just blood everywhere I was shouting through to the driver to ask him if he was okay. He was laying on his side and I asked him if he was okay. I think he was in his mid-30s or 40s,” he told the Daily Mail.
“When we got out I asked the driver if he was okay and what happened and he just said to me ‘I think I blacked out’.”
Investigators said the two-carriage tram crashed at a junction in the suburb of Croydon where two separate tracks meet.
A Rail Accident Investigation Branch statement said: “Trams approaching from the New Addington direction have to negotiate a sharp, left-hand curve with a speed limit of 20 km/h (12 mph) before reaching the junction.
“The derailment occurred on the curve and initial indications suggest that the tram was traveling at a significantly higher speed than is permitted.”
The first confirmed fatality was 19-year-old local worker Dane Chinnery.
