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. Passengers at a Rome metro station are pictured crashing downwards after the escalator they were on ran out of control sending them flying An escalator at a metro station in the Italian capital of Rome is pictured broken and covered in blood after it ran out of control this evening Dramatic images from the Repubblica metro station in Rome this evening show football fans being stretched out of the station after the escalator they were on ran out of control More images from the scene show a number of fans with leg injuries and ripped clothes 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. One commuter is pictured with a bandaged foot and a bloodied trainer at the metro station in Rome this evening An edited image was posted to social media of one fan showing his bloodied ankle to the camera, while another sits beside him on top of the broken escalator An injured fan is pictured in a protective blanket after getting caught up in the escalator carnage at the Repubblica metro station in Rome More than 100 firefighters were scrambled to the metro station this evening. A group are pictured carrying one man on a stretcher The Italian fire and rescue service posted this image of the collapsed escalator on social media after the incident this evening<doc-sep>Authorities in Rome have launched two investigations after 24 fans of the CSKA Moscow football team were injured when a crowded escalator suddenly sped up then collapsed, hurling people down the staircase. One of the fans, who was in the Italian capital for his team’s Champions League game against AS Roma, had his foot amputated in the incident at Repubblica station on Tuesday evening in what one witness described as “a scene from an apocalypse”. Firefighters worked for around an hour to remove fans trapped between the metal plates of the escalator’s steps. Many of the injured were treated at the scene. Emergency services outside the Repubblica – Teatro dell’Opera station on Tuesday evening. Photograph: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images RAI, the state television broadcaster, aired a video of the incident, showing the escalator suddenly accelerating, with people piling up at the bottom. The top part of the escalator remained mostly intact, while several steps at the bottom completely collapsed. “I just witnessed a scene from an apocalypse,” said the witness. “An escalator, one metre from me, began to accelerate as if it was going crazy … what is happening in this city?” The station was full of Russian fans at the time as they headed towards Rome’s Olympic Stadium for the football match. Italian media reported that the escalator broke after singing and chanting fans started to jump up and down on it. Beer bottles were found at the bottom. “There has certainly been a failure of the escalator,” Rome’s chief firefighter, Giampietro Boscaino, said. “But we cannot say how it happened. It’s a strange incident.” The investigations have been opened by Rome’s public prosecutor and Atac, the company responsible for the city’s public transport system. The metro station has been closed. “Now we need to understand what happened,” Rome’s mayor, Virginia Raggi, said at the scene. “We are available for the injured and their families.”<doc-sep>Seven people were seriously hurt, Rome fire officials said. Most of the injured were Russian soccer fans there to see CSKA Moscow face off against Roma, the AP reported. Witnesses said people "were jumping and dancing on the escalator before the accident," the AP said, citing a report by Italy's ANSA news agency. Read more here.<doc-sep>A terrifying escalator accident caught on camera at Repubblica metro station in Rome, Italy, left nearly two dozen people injured on Tuesday, Reuters reports. The majority of those involved are believed to be Russian soccer fans who were on their way to watch CSKA Moscow face off against AS Roma in Tuesday's Champions League game. Cellphone footage of the incident shows dozens of fans traveling down the malfunctioning escalator, which had suddenly sped out of control, causing passengers to become crushed at the bottom of the fast-moving steps. Local media reports that the incident spurred panic at the metro station, with many onlookers fearing there had been a terror attack. At least three people suffered serious injuries and one man had to have part of his foot amputated. First responders shared an image of the mangled escalator steps on Twitter, showing the severity of the damage. Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi told reporters that local transport authority had opened an investigation into what caused the accident. "From what witnesses have said, it seems that some fans were jumping and dancing on the stairs," Raggi said.<doc-sep>
Video of an incident Tuesday at an Italian metro station shows a speeding escalator carrying people downward into a pile of bodies, causing more than 20 injuries. The video — published by NBC News, Sky TG24 and other outlets — shows the malfunctioning escalator depositing passengers in a pile. Some jump off the escalator to avoid the mass of bodies, from which audible screams can be heard. The incident happened at Repubblica metro stop in Rome, and officials say many of those injured were Russians in town for a Champions League soccer game. Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi said witnesses reported people were jumping and dancing on the escalator before the accident, according to news agency ANSA. The news agency also reported that maintenance on the escalators is conducted monthly. The Russian embassy in Italy says up to 30 people were injured, the BBC reports. Citing firefighters, the Associated Press reports that seven people were in serious condition after the incident. "The scene that we found was people piled up at the bottom of the escalator," the AP quotes Rome provincial fire chief Giampietro Boscaino. "People one on the top of the other looking for help. They had various injuries caused by the escalator that was twisted, therefore serious injuries." Oct. 10:Man in wheelchair fatally falls from top of escalator at Metro station March 2017:Footage shows escalator reverse at Hong Kong mall Photos published by the Italian fire and rescue service shows mangled machinery at the bottom of the escalator. The station was closed by investigators and the cause of the incident was not immediately known. Contributing: The Associated Press.