Last Friday night, at around 11.30 pm local time, a fireworks explosion during rehearsals for the Republic Day parade caused around 35 horses taking part in the parade to bolt in terror along Via Cristoforo Colombo in Rome, injuring some passers-by, as well as some riders who were mounted on some of the horses. The chase to recapture the animals lasted all night, with the last one being caught some 14 kilometres from the starting point at around 7 am, according to Reuters.
Mario De Sclavis, Rome's police commander, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper on Sunday that the incident "discredits the image of the force and its officers", after one of them set off the fireworks just 200 metres from where mounted units of the police, army and Carabinieri were stationed.
Among the injured is a 22-year-old soldier with fractured ribs and a punctured lung, but his prognosis is good and his life is not in danger. Fifteen animals were also injured, but none of them will need to be put down.