Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage shared online shows the escalator moving at speed

More than 20 people were hurt, some seriously, when an escalator ran out of control at a Rome metro station.

Footage shared on social media showed people being crushed at the bottom as stairs on the escalator crumpled.

Many of those injured were fans of the visiting Russian football team CSKA Moscow.

One of the fans had a foot partially severed in the crush. At least two others needed surgery for injuries to their legs.

The accident happened before CSKA Moscow's match with Roma in the group stages of the Champions League.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Metal plates were left mangled at the bottom of the structure

Witnesses quoted by police said the Russian fans had been singing and jumping before the escalator gave way.

"A group of CSKA fans were going down into the station. At that moment the escalator collapsed," a police spokesman told Russian news agency RIA. Most of the injured were CSKA fans, the spokesman added.

Video posted by a Russian fan showed the escalator moving down at very high speed, with people trying to cling to the handrails.

There was panic as people ploughed into each other at the bottom and one person was hauled to safety by a man on a parallel escalator.

"I just experienced a scene from the apocalypse," one witness told Repubblica newspaper. "One of the steps on the downward escalator, just a metre away from me, started accelerating extremely fast like it had gone crazy."

Pictures of the damaged escalator show a tangle of broken and twisted metal. The fire brigade tweeted a video of its operation at 21:00 (19:00 GMT) to say all the wounded had been rescued and taken to hospital.

Three people suffered serious injuries, according to local reports. Surgeons operated on a man in his thirties in the hope of saving his foot.

Rome officials have opened an investigation into what happened. The city's transport infrastructure is notoriously chaotic but local transport authority Atac said maintenance checks on the station's escalators were carried out on a monthly basis.

City Mayor Virginia Raggi visited the scene of the accident to express her sympathy for the injured.</s>Rome: More than 20 people, mainly Russian football fans, were injured Tuesday when an escalator in a metro station in central Rome collapsed, in an incident some blamed on raucous football supporters.

Most of those hurt, one seriously, suffered leg injuries after getting entangled in the escalator's mangled mechanics, Italian media added. A video of the drama shows the descending escalator at Repubblica station suddenly and dramatically pick up speed with dozens of people on it, many screaming as they piled on top of one another at the foot of the moving stairway.

Media reports said witnesses spoke of football fans, seemingly drunk, jumping and dancing on the escalator just before its collapse, but supporters denied this ever happened. "In any event, we are here to understand what happened and to offer our support to the wounded and their families," Rome mayor Virginia Raggi told journalists at the scene.

Several investigations have been opened, and the metro station near Rome's Termini train station was closed. The horrific events took place around 1730 GMT, just over an hour before the kickoff of a Champion's League match between Italy's Roma and Russian club CSKA Moscow. The Russian fans were headed for the metro that would have linked them to the train to the stadium.

There was heightened security in Rome for some 1,500 Russian supporters, notoriously rowdy, expected to watch the game. One Russian supporter, the subject of a stadium ban, had already been stopped at the airport as he tried to enter. But according to Italian media, this did not prevent an assortment of incidents around the stadium hosting the match. One Russian fan was stabbed with a knife, and two others were hurt in clashes with other supporters.

Roma won the group stage match 3-0, tweeting after the match that: "The thoughts of everyone at #ASRoma are with the supporters injured prior to tonight's game. The club will do everything it can to provide the right support and assistance to those in need." Rome's public transport is often criticised as running on obsolete equipment. In recent years, more than a dozen municipal buses have caught fire while in service, with several reports of metro passengers injured by malfunctioning hardware.</s>"We received information about 30 injured people, seven of them were carried away on a stretcher, they are in serious condition, five are in a moderate condition, 18 had left the station themselves, they had light injuries," a spokesperson for the diplomatic mission said.

"All victims have been identified. [Russian] Diplomats visited them in two Rome clinics. They found out there were Ukrainian citizens among them," the spokesperson said.

Rome's public prosecutor and transport authorities are investigating the cause of the collapse at the Repubblica metro station. Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi said witnesses reported fans had been jumping and dancing on the escalator. However, a video circulated online showed the escalator suddenly speed up before its bottom collapsed.

Metro station Repubblica has been closed after the accident.

The fans arrived in the Italian capital to see a match between Russia’s CSKA Moscow and Italy’s Roma in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Roma defeated CSKA 3-0, with two goals scored by Edin Dzeko and the third by Cengiz Under.

READ MORE: Football Fans Go Berserk as Real Madrid's Asensio Mocks Liverpool Goalie Karius</s>Rome, Oct 24: More than 20 people, mainly Russian football fans, were injured on Tuesday when an escalator in a metro station in central Rome collapsed, firefighters said.

Most of those hurt, one seriously, suffered leg injuries after getting entangled in the escalator's mangled mechanics, Italian media added. A video of the drama shows the descending escalator at Repubblica station suddenly and dramatically pick up speed with dozens of people on it, many screaming as they piled on top of one another at the foot of the moving stairway.

Media reports said witnesses spoke of football fans, seemingly drunk, jumping and dancing on the escalator just before its collapse, but supporters denied this ever happened. "In any event, we are here to understand what happened and to offer our support to the wounded and their families," Rome mayor Virginia Raggi told journalists at the scene.

Some of the victims were seen wrapped in blankets and some wore neck braces as they were taken away from the scene on stretchers by emergency crews. Several investigations have been opened, and the metro station near Rome's Termini train station was closed.

The horrific events took place around 1730 GMT, just over an hour before the kickoff of a Champions League match between Italy's Roma and Russian club CSKA Moscow.

The Russian fans were headed for the metro that would have linked them to the train to the stadium. There was heightened security in Rome for some 1,500 Russian supporters, expected to watch the game. One Russian supporter, the subject of a stadium ban, had already been stopped at the airport as he tried to enter.

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But according to Italian media, this did not prevent an assortment of incidents around the stadium hosting the match. One Russian fan was stabbed with a knife, and two others were hurt in clashes with other supporters.

Roma won the group stage match 3-0, tweeting after the match that: "The thoughts of everyone at #ASRoma are with the supporters injured prior to tonight's game. The club will do everything it can to provide the right support and assistance to those in need." Red-Blue World, a CSKA fan group, set up a collection fund for those injured, as well as fans hurt in violence near the stadium.

Rome's public transport is often criticised as running on obsolete equipment. In recent years, more than a dozen municipal buses have caught fire while in service, with several reports of metro passengers injured by malfunctioning hardware. And a massive bridge collapse in Genoa in August -- which killed 43 people -- also raised safety questions about transport infrastructure in Italy. Incidents on escalators have caused injuries, and even deaths, around the world.

In 2015, a woman was killed after she plunged through flooring over an escalator in a Chinese department store. Security camera footage showed a panel in the floor giving way as the woman stepped off the escalator. As she fell half-way through she pushed her son forward, and a nearby shop assistant dragged him to safety.

And in March 2017, around 20 people were injured at a Hong Kong shopping centre when an escalator suddenly changed direction, sending people hurtling towards its base.</s>An escalator at a train station in Italy malfunctioned on Tuesday, reportedly leaving at least 20 people injured.

The escalator at the Repubblica metro station in Rome broke, Italian police said. Emergency officials are responding to the scene.

Most of those aboard the escalator were CSKA Moscow soccer fans, according to local news outlet La Repubblica. Fans were headed toward Rome's Olympic Stadium, where CSKA Moscow was scheduled to play AS Roma on Tuesday.

The escalator reportedly malfunctioned when fans were jumping and singing en route to the match.

This is a developing story; please check back for updates.</s>A view of the crashed escalator at the "Repubblica" subway station in Rome.

A view of the crashed escalator at the "Repubblica" subway station in Rome.

AROUND 20 PEOPLE were injured when an escalator leading to a metro station in central Rome collapsed in an accident believed to have been caused by Russian football fans, Italian media said.

The AGI news agency said that “a large group of CSKA fans, probably under the influence of alcohol, began to jump together, provoking the collapse” of one part of the escalator.

Sky-TG24 television quoted police sources as saying that at least 20 people had been injured, mostly Russians, and that one was in serious condition.

AGI reported that around 15 CSKA fans had been hurt, two of them seriously.</s>ROME (Reuters) - An escalator in a Rome metro station packed with CSKA Moscow soccer fans broke on Tuesday, injuring at least 20 people as they were flung down the stairs, Italian police said.

Seven people was seriously hurt in the accident at the city-centre Repubblica station. None of the injuries were reported to be life-threatening.

State television RAI broadcast a video of the incident that showed the escalator suddenly speed up, leaving people in a tangled crush at the bottom, unable to jump free.

The station was full of Russian fans headed towards Rome’s Olympic Stadium where CSKA Moscow were to play AS Roma in the Champions League.

Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi visited the metro station and said the local transport authority had opened an investigation.

“From what witnesses have said, it seems that some fans were jumping and dancing on the stairs,” Raggi told reporters.

Italian media said some soccer supporters were trapped between the metal plates of the steps.</s>At least 24 people, including fans of a Russian soccer team, were injured after an escalator inside a Rome metro station gave way Tuesday night, according to Italian media.

The incident occurred in the Repubblica station before a Champions League match between CSKA Moscow and A.S. Roma. One person was in serious condition, and most of the injured were Russians who were in town for the soccer game, according to La Repubblica.

A terrifying video shows the crowded escalator speeding up before coming to a sudden halt, leaving people piled up at the bottom steps. Some passengers threw themselves to the center railing to escape.</s>An escalator at a metro station in Rome ran out of control this evening sending dozens of people hurtling into each other at terrifying speed.

The incident at the Repubblica underground station was filmed and posted on social media today ahead of this evening's Champions League clash in the Italian capital.

The station was overrun with CSKA Moscow fans as they headed to the Stadio Olimpico for the Russian team's match against Roma.

Local media reports claim the escalator malfunctioned after Russian fans were seen 'singing and jumping on it' causing it to give way.

One witness said they 'had just witnessed a scene from the apocalypse' after seeing football fans being sent crashing into one another.

At least 20 people were injured in the carnage, with one fan's foot partially severed and seven others seriously hurt, reports La Repubblica.

Dramatic Twitter footage posted by a Russian fan shows the escalator running at incredible speed, causing people to pile up and crash into each other at the bottom.

Most of the injured are Russian, but a small number are Italian, according to the newspaper.

The station has been closed and emergency services are on scene, where injured fans are being stretchered to safety.

Dozens of beer bottles are also pictured in and around the station after fans dropped them in the chaos.

More than 100 firefighters were scrambled to the metro station, where the last few steps of the escalator have completely collapsed.

Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi visited the metro station and said the local transport authority had opened an investigation.

'From what witnesses have said, it seems that some fans were jumping and dancing on the stairs,' Raggi told reporters.</s>An escalator in a Rome metro station broke on Tuesday, injuring 20 people, most of them CSKA Moscow soccer fans, Italian police said.

One person was seriously hurt in the accident at the city-centre Repubblica station, they said.

State television RAI broadcast a video of the incident that showed a packed escalator suddenly speed up, hurtling people down the stairs. Italian media said some soccer supporters were trapped between the metal plates of the steps.

The station was full of Russian fans at the time as they headed towards Rome's Olympic Stadium where CSKA Moscow was due to play AS Roma in the Champions League later on Tuesday.

La Repubblica website said the escalator broke after singing and chanting fans started to jump up and down on it.
An escalator collapses at Repubblica – Teatro dell'Opera metro station in Rome, Italy, leaving at least 20 people injured, the majority Russian football team CSKA fans.