2018 Rome escalator accident

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2018 Rome escalator accident
An escalator at Repubblica station, photographed in 2006
Map
DateOctober 23, 2018 (2018-10-23)
Time19:00 (CEST)
VenueRepubblica – Teatro dell'Opera, Rome Metro
LocationRome, Italy
CauseTampering and improper maintenance and certification
Non-fatal injuries20+ people injured, including 7 seriously injured
Convicted
  • Ettore Bucci
  • Alessandro Galeotti
  • Filippo Nazario
  • Raffaele Santulli
  • 10 employees of Metro Roma
Charges
  • Fraud in public procurement
  • Grievous bodily harm

On 23 October 2018, twenty-four people, mostly fans of the CSKA Moscow football team, were injured after a crowded escalator at a Rome Metro station malfunctioned. It suddenly sped up, and hurled people down the escalator.[1][2]

Background

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Repubblica is a station on Line A of the Rome Metro, originally opened in 1980. It is one of four stations on the line with no elevators or stairlifts, being accessed only by escalators.[3]

Incident

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The escalator at the Repubblica Metro station in Rome malfunctioned on 23 October.[4] The station was crowded due to many fans traveling to the Rome Olympic stadium to watch the UEFA Champions League game between CSKA Moscow and AS Roma. It was initially reported that a group of CSKA fans going down into the station were seen to be jumping and singing before the incident,[5] although this was later determined to be false.[6][7] The incident was caught on video, where the escalator suddenly sped up with little time for those at the bottom to get out of the way.[5]

Some fans attempted to escape by utilizing the median to either side to slide down, or by attempting to get to the other escalator.[8] A photo was released of the escalator stairs after they were stopped crumpled at the bottom with jagged and exposed metal plates.[9]

Victims

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More than 20 people were injured, 7 seriously. One person's foot was partially crushed in the incident, while at least 2 others required surgery for leg injuries.[5][10] Some of the injured were trapped between the metal plates of the steps at the bottom of the escalator.[8]

Investigation and prosecution

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Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi issued a request for a formal inquest over the cause of the malfunction. The entire Repubblica station was closed for 246 days so that investigators and firefighters could carry out all investigations and rescue operations.[11][12] Metro stations Spagna and Barberini, also on Line A, were also temporarily shut after the accident.[13] A representative from ATAC, Rome's public transport company, issued a statement that "all maintenance checks of the escalator were carried out regularly and the results were in accordance to the norms."[14]

In the week following the accident, protests against Raggi raised concerns about her failing to address the city's issues such as the accident and lack of funds for city upkeep and infrastructure.[15] Meanwhile, police after studying the accident footage concluded that the fans were not jumping on the escalator. The CSKA fans released a statement on 24 October that; "Italian officials, without conducting an investigation, were quick to accuse us of the accident. Apparently, they are trying to shun the responsibility of what happened."[6]

In March 2019, Barberini station had a similar accident which after investigation of the two incidents was determined to similarly be caused by the disabling of safety systems by improper maintenance.[12][16]

By September 2019, as part of the ongoing investigation and in the context of evidence found of tampering and false documentation, three ATAC employees and one Metro Roma employee were charged with fraud in public procurement and aggravated personal injury, and "precautionary measures" were taken by the authorities against the four individuals.[17]

By December 2020, the investigation of the incident concluded, with the finding that the safety systems of the escalator were tampered with, leading to the escalator work being falsely certified as complete; the primary brake had not been serviced and was operating below specification.[18][12] Additionally, employees of Metro Roma disabled a brake wedge via the use of plastic cable ties in an effort to prevent the escalators from stopping and an alarm triggering, with the knowledge of ATAC officials.[19][12] The resulting report noted the role of Metro Roma technicians alongside several ATAC employees who were found to be complicit.[20]

Four ATAC managers, Ettore Bucci (employee acting as sole manager of the proceedings), Alessandro Galeotti (operations manager for the Repubblica and Barberini stations), Filippo Nazario (director of maintenance contract execution), and Raffaele Santulli (director of the maintenance and infrastructure department), as well as ten employees of Metro Roma were charged, with the latter group charged with fraud in public procurement and causing grievous bodily harm.[20] The prosecutor noted that "Metroroma technicians could not have acted without the complicity of ATAC employees."[20]

References

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  1. ^ Staff and agencies in Rome (2018-10-23). "Dozens of Moscow fans injured as escalator runs out of control in Rome". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  2. ^ Embury-Dennis, Tom (2018-10-23). "At least 20 injured as malfunctioning escalator on Rome subway speeds up". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01.
  3. ^ "Transport Accessibility". Atac. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  4. ^ Darrah, Nicole (2018-10-23). "Rome metro station escalator goes haywire, injuring riders". Fox News. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  5. ^ a b c "Rome escalator crush injures Russian fans". BBC News. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  6. ^ a b "Russian fans not guilty of Rome subway escalator crash - Subway accident". PravdaReport. 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  7. ^ Frignani, Rinaldo; Palma, Ester (2019-02-24). "La scala mobile che da 125 giorni nessuno riesce ad aggiustare" [The escalator that no one has been able to fix for 125 days]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  8. ^ a b "CSKA fans injured in Rome escalator accident". ESPN.com. 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  9. ^ "Escalator packed with soccer fans suddenly hurtles downward, injuring dozens". ABC News. 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  10. ^ "Rome escalator accident reportedly injures 20, mostly Russian soccer fans". NBC News. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  11. ^ Santolo, Alessandra Scotto di (2018-10-23). "Champions League horror: Football fans crushed in escalator horror - 24 injured". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  12. ^ a b c d on-line, Redazione (2019-09-12). "Nei guai due dipendenti di Atac e due di Metro Roma per i guasti alle scale mobili delle stazioni Repubblica e Barberini. L'accusa è di frode e lesioni. Accertate gravi manomissioni" [Two ATAC and two Rome Metro employees are in trouble for escalator malfunctions at the Repubblica and Barberini stations. They are charged with fraud and assault. Serious tampering has been confirmed.]. LA NOTIZIA (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  13. ^ "Repubblica metro reopens, Barberini still shut". www.italianinsider.it. 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  14. ^ Livia Borghese; Valentina DiDonato; Bianca Britton. "24 injured and man 'partially loses foot' in Rome escalator collapse". CNN. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  15. ^ "Thousands protest Rome's run-down state". BBC News. 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  16. ^ Rome, Wanted in (2019-03-21). "Rome's Barberini metro station closed after escalator collapse". Wanted in Rome. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  17. ^ "Roma, stazione Repubblica chiusa per 8 mesi: sospesi 4 dipendenti di Atac e Metro" [Rome's Repubblica station closed for eight months, with four Atac and Metro employees suspended.]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  18. ^ Escalator accident, official report (2020)
  19. ^ "Metro: scale mobili manomesse, in 13 a Roma rischiano il processo" [Metro: Escalators tampered with, 13 people in Rome risk trial]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  20. ^ a b c "Metro, manomissione scale mobili: chiuse le indagini su 4 dirigenti Atac, 10 operai e i rappresentanti di Metro Roma Scarl" [Metro escalator tampering: investigation closed on four Atac executives, 10 workers, and representatives of Metro Roma Scarl]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2025-09-12.

Primary sources

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