Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked Italy’s authorities for their assistance to Russian fans, who were injured when an escalator in a Rome metro station collapsed, TASS reports.
"I would like to convey through you the words of gratitude to the mayor of Rome and medical personnel, who are providing assistance to Russian football fans hurt during the accident in the Rome metro," Putin told Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at their meeting in the Kremlin on Wednesday.
The escalator accident occurred at a Rome metro station ahead of the UEFA Champions League group stage match between Italy’s Roma and Russia’s CSKA on Tuesday. During the rush hour, the escalator accelerated suddenly, and then stopped. According to preliminary data, nearly 30 people were injured and 19 of them were hospitalized, most of them were Russian fans.
The official cause of the accident has not been revealed.