London: A city bus has slammed into pedestrians in central Stockholm in a horror scene that left several dead and others badly injured.
Police arrested the driver and said they were treating the deaths as manslaughter after the double-decker vehicle rammed people waiting at a bus stop, with some accounts claiming it swerved toward the victims.
Police stand at the scene where double-decker bus crashed into a bus shelter in Stockholm.Credit: AP
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed that several people were killed and said the victims included people who might have been on their way home to family and friends.
“We do not yet know the cause of this, but right now my thoughts are primarily with those who have been affected and their loved ones,” he wrote on X.
“Police, ambulance, and rescue services now have a very difficult and important job to do. I urge everyone to show consideration and understanding for their tasks.”
Swedish news agency TT said police confirmed that the driver had been detained and would be questioned to determine what happened. The front of the bus appeared to have been seriously damaged.
The front of the double-decker bus, which was empty and not in service at the time of the crash. Credit: AP
Authorities were alerted to the crash at 3:23 pm on Friday (1.23am on Saturday, AEST) when the vehicle struck people at the bus shelter on Valhallavagen, a street in the Swedish capital’s Östermalm district.
Several reports said the public transport bus was out of service at the time, with no passengers on board.
