Escalator collapse in Rome injures 24

Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Twenty-four people sustained injuries Tuesday after a crowded escalator sped up and collapsed in a subway station in Rome, Italian authorities said.

The injured were fans of the CSKA Moscow soccer team on their way to attend a game against AS Roma. They were in Rome's Repubblica metro station, which was closed down after the incident.

Firefighters worked for an hour to release some of the travelers from parts of the escalator. One man was transported to a hospital where his foot was amputated. The escalator collapse was caught on video, which showed dozens of riders piling up at the bottom of the stairway as it sped up.

"I just witnessed a scene from apocalypse," said one witness. "An escalator, one metre from me, began to accelerate as if it was going crazy ... what is happening in this city?"

Witnesses said the soccer fans were singing and jumping on the escalator before it collapsed.