This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/rome-bus-explosions-fire-italy-city-mayor-virginia-raggi-public-transport-a8342716.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Tenth bus catches fire in Rome this year as pressure mounts on Italian capital's mayor | Tenth bus catches fire in Rome this year as pressure mounts on Italian capital's mayor |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Two passenger buses in Rome have caught fire, one of which exploded, bringing the total number of vehicles destroyed in the Italian capital this year to 10. | |
| The latest blazes, on Tuesday, are believed to have been caused by mechanical problems. | |
| Both drivers managed to escape with their passengers unscathed, although a woman who worked in a shop near one of the buses suffered minor burns. | |
| The number 63 bus came to a halt near the Trevi Fountain, a popular tourist attraction, before the fire took hold. | The number 63 bus came to a halt near the Trevi Fountain, a popular tourist attraction, before the fire took hold. |
| Video showed flames from the vehicle, owned by Rome's transport authority, Atac, shooting into the sky and the facades of the two nearest buildings were left smeared with black soot. | Video showed flames from the vehicle, owned by Rome's transport authority, Atac, shooting into the sky and the facades of the two nearest buildings were left smeared with black soot. |
| Less than four hours later an Atac school bus caught fire in a southern suburb. | Less than four hours later an Atac school bus caught fire in a southern suburb. |
| Politicians were quick to blame Mayor Virginia Raggi and her party, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, for the series of fires, saying it showed they were incapable of governing Rome. | |
| "Romans risk getting hurt every day with this 5-Star administration," said Barbara Saltamartini, a member of the far-right League party. | |
| "These images are being seen around the world and they are the latest images of Raggi's failure." | |
| Some 20 buses operated by the company caught fire in 2017. | |
| Five Star says it inherited a transport system that was mired in debt and dragged down by poor management and that it is working hard to overcome numerous long-standing problems. | |
| The fires became such a common occurrence that a regular hashtag, #Flambus, would trend after each incident. | |
| Italian media blamed the succession of blazes on an ageing fleet and poor maintenance from Atac. | |
| The company has suffocated under €1.3bn (£1.14bn) of debts and should declare bankruptcy, according to the former head of the company. | The company has suffocated under €1.3bn (£1.14bn) of debts and should declare bankruptcy, according to the former head of the company. |
| Around a third of the company's buses are in garages because they have broken down or are undergoing maintenance, according to an internal Atac report. | Around a third of the company's buses are in garages because they have broken down or are undergoing maintenance, according to an internal Atac report. |