A bus crashes into a bus stop in Stockholm, killing 3 people and injuring 3

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A double-decker bus crashed into a bus stop in Stockholm on Friday, killing three people and injuring three others, police said.

Authorities were alerted to the crash at 3:23 p.m. on Friday. The vehicle rammed into the bus shelter on Valhallavägen, a street in the Swedish capital’s Östermalm district. The area is in the northern part of the city, near the Royal Institute of Technology.

Police were treating the crash as “involuntary manslaughter” but were still investigating. It wasn't immediately clear what the cause was.

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 be have been seriously damaged.

Emergency services said the vehicle — a regular city bus — was not in service and no passengers were on board at the time, TT reported.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X he had “received the tragic news that several people have been killed and injured at a bus stop ... People who were perhaps on their way home to family, friends, or a quiet evening at home.”

He said that “we do not yet know the cause of this, but right now my thoughts are primarily with those who have been affected and their families.”

A double-decker bus crashed into a bus shelter in Stockholm on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, causing fatalities and injuries. (Claudio Bresciani/TT News Agency via AP)

A double-decker bus crashed into a bus shelter in Stockholm on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, causing fatalities and injuries. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP)

A double-decker bus crashed into a bus shelter in Stockholm on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, causing fatalities and injuries. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP)

A double-decker bus crashed into a bus shelter in Stockholm on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, causing fatalities and injuries. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP)

A double-decker bus crashed into a bus shelter in Stockholm on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, causing fatalities and injuries. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Thursday that it was not feasible to save the East Wing because of structural issues, past decay and other major concerns as officials shared details of President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom at a public meeting of the planning commission charged with approving it.

Josh Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, ticked off problems, including an unstable colonnade, water leakage and mold contamination in explaining why it was more economical to tear down the East Wing to make room for the $400 million ballroom than to renovate it.

“Because of this and other factors, the cost analysis proved that demolition and reconstruction provided the lowest total cost ownership and most effective long-term strategy,” Fisher told members of the National Capital Planning Commission.

It was the most comprehensive explanation to date for the dramatic demolition of the East Wing, which caused a public stir when it began in October with little advance notice.

The project's architect joined other construction and White House officials in presenting a detailed plan to the commission Thursday about how the new ballroom would look. They said its design is expected to include adding a second story to the colonnade outside the West Wing, which would help make the building more uniform with the new ballroom being built on the other side of the White House but would also dramatically alter the iconic space outside the Oval Office.

The project also will include a new visitors entry complex, which is meant to speed access to those coming to the White House to use the new ballroom and ensure that they don't have to mill under the tents or other temporary structures sometimes erected for large gatherings now.

Some of the 12 commission members raised concerns, particularly Commissioner Phil Mendelson, who asked if the planned size and location of the ballroom might change going forward. He was told that “anything’s possible” but that the existing plans had been studied very thoroughly.

Mendelson, who also serves as chairman of the D.C. Council, then asked if the planned ceiling height of 38 to 40 feet (11.5 to 12 meters) could still be lowered before the final structure is finished and received assurances that the number wasn't fully set. “It still seems to me it’s overwhelming the existing building," Mendelson said.

Will Scharf, a top White House aide whom Trump tapped to head the commission, seemed to listen to those and other questions Mendelson raised. Upon its completion, however, the ballroom is expected to be larger than the rest of the existing White House.

Mendelson also asked why the project hadn't been presented in its entirety to the commission before demolition of the East Wing began. Fisher said some things about the ballroom's construction were of a “top secret nature." Scharf repeated his past assertions that the planning commission doesn’t usually have jurisdiction over site work and demolition on any project, including those at the White House.

He pointed to recent work at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, which he said was an example of demolition beginning before the commission fully approved plans.

Scharf acknowledged that the ballroom project had drawn “agitation” from some quarters, saying it had sparked "passionate comments on both sides” while also noting that public comment wouldn't be part of Thursday's session.

Instead, the commissioners were allowed to ask questions and feedback, with a more formal review expected in the spring that would include public testimony and votes. The commission's next meeting is Feb. 5.

After commissioner questions, Scharf defended the project, arguing that the White House needed a larger and more elegant space to hold visitors. He recalled visiting Windsor Castle last year with Trump, and noted that the president would eventually be hosting King Charles III of Great Britain. “More likely than not, he will be hosted in a tent on the south lawn with porta-potties," Scharf said.

Another White House official chosen by Trump for the commission, deputy White House chief of staff James Blair, said, “The president's views would be that he thinks the American people deserve that same opportunity to have grand gatherings."

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Scharf said, “Our concern is not so much about whether a ballroom is a good idea or not, I obviously believe that it is."

“Our concerns are how will that impact the public viewing experience, the visitor experience," he said. "How will this new building interact with the other existing buildings in the area and more broadly in the city.”

The White House in December submitted its ballroom plans to the commission, which is one of two federal panels that review construction on federal land — usually before ground is broken. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to halt construction of the $400 million ballroom, accusing the Trump administration of violating federal laws by proceeding before submitting the project for the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment.

A summary on the commission's website said the purpose of the project is to “establish a permanent, secure event space within the White House grounds" that provides increased capacity for official state functions, eliminates reliance on temporary tents and support facilities, and “protects the historic integrity and cultural landscape of the White House and its grounds.”

A comprehensive design plan for the White House prepared in 2000 identified the “need for expanded event space to address growing visitor demand and provide a venue suitable for significant events," the summary said. It added that successive administrations had “recognized this need as an ongoing priority."

Carol Quillen, president of the Trust, told The Associated Press in a recent interview that she takes Scharf “at his word” that the commission will do its job.

Trump, a Republican serving his second term, has been talking about building a White House ballroom for years. Last July, the White House announced a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) space would be built on the east side of the complex to accommodate 650 seated guests at a then-estimated cost of $200 million. Trump has said it will be paid for with private donations, including from him.

He later upped the ballroom’s capacity to 999 people and, by October, had demolished the two-story East Wing of the White House to build it there. In December, he updated the price tag to $400 million — double the original estimate.

The White House had announced few other details about the project but has said it would be completed before Trump's term ends in January 2029. Trump has said the ballroom will be big enough for future presidential inaugurations to be held there. He also said it will other security features such as bulletproof glass.

While in Florida last week, the president bought marble and onyx for the ballroom “at his own expense,” the White House said. The cost was not disclosed.

Architect Shalom Baranes points at a rendering on a board during a National Capitol Planning Commission meeting discussing the White House ballroom project, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Architect Shalom Baranes points at a map on a board during a National Capitol Planning Commission meeting discussing the White House ballroom project, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)