‘Analysis of footage shows CSKA fans didn’t cause escalator collapse’ – Italian press on Rome horror
Detailed analysis of CCTV footage at Rome’s Repubblica metro station has reportedly shown that CSKA Moscow fans did not jump on an escalator before it collapsed, injuring dozens as they made their way to a Champions League match.
Italian outlet Corriere della Sera reported that fans who were heading to CSKA’s match against Roma didn’t cause the escalator breakdown as they were standing in an orderly way on the steps before the “metal floor opened under their feet.”
“CSKA fans didn’t jump on the steps of the escalator and didn’t cause the collapse of the mechanism. This is what emerges from the analysis of the CCTV video footage of the moment preceding the incident,” the Italian newspaper wrote.
“The video showed that at that time dozens of fans were quiet on the escalator before the metal floor opened under their feet,” it added.
The statement contradicts allegations by Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who said the horrific incident on Tuesday had been caused by “drunken” Russian fans.
Up to 30 people, most of them Russian fans, were hospitalized in Rome following the incident.
READ MORE: CSKA Moscow fans plan to sue Rome authorities over escalator collapse – reports
CSKA fans who were in Rome have asserted that they were not to blame for the collapse, and the club’s official fan club has said it will file a lawsuit against the Rome authorities over supporters’ injuries.
