If you’ve ever taken a subway escalator during rush hour, you know how chaotic it can be to secure a spot on the moving staircase as you rush to catch your next train or find your way to the street.

 

Well, for some public transit riders, their commute took a turn for the worse when an escalator malfunctioned and sped up at the Repubblica station in Rome, hurling passengers on top of one another, and leaving over 20 people injured.

 

A video on social media showed passengers screaming and fast-acting bystanders trying to help drag their fellow passengers to safety. ATAC, Italy’s oldest transportation company, is working with local law enforcement to get to the bottom of Tuesday’s incident.

 

They may have a little insight into what may have caused the unfortunate malfunction. Many of those hurt were fans of the Russian team, CSKA Moscow, who was playing Italian football club Roma in Champions League.

 

Rome’s mayor, Virginia Raggi, said witnesses saw soccer fans jumping and dancing on the escalator.