Several people have been killed after a bus crashed into a bus stop in central Stockholm on Friday afternoon, Swedish police said.
A large number of police cars and ambulances were on the scene, attending to the casualties. Rescuers said that some people were “seriously” injured. Five people are said to have been affected by the incident, according to authorities.
The driver was arrested and the crash is being investigated as aggravated manslaughter, Swedish outlet Aftonbladet reports.
Police said they would not comment on specifics relating to the details of the victims, including the gender or ages of those killed or injured.
Authorities said it was too early to say what had caused the incident, which took place at 3.23pm (2.23pm GMT) on Friday in the Ostermalm area, a large district in central Stockholm. The crash is said to have occurred near the city’s Royal Institute of Technology.
Valhallavägen, the street near where the collision happened, has been cordoned off by emergency services.
Sweden’s deputy prime minister Ebba Busch wrote in a statement on X/Twitter on Friday: “Devastated by the terrible news that people have lost their lives after a bus crashed into a bus shelter in central Stockholm.
“The government is closely following the developments and is in close contact with the relevant authorities.”
Several people are said to have run into local shops crying when the crash occurred, witnesses told SVT.
“It is being investigated as involuntary manslaughter,” a police spokesperson said, adding that there was no information to suggest it had been an attack. “The bus driver has been arrested but that is routine in such an incident.”
A spokesperson for Transdev told SVT that the bus belonged to its company. The broadcaster reported that the vehicle was not supposed to be in service at the time of the incident.
Mathias Häglund, the commanding officer of the rescue service, said that only the driver had been on board, according to Euro News.
More to follow…
Source: independent.co.uk