Escalator malfunction: Hong Kong escalator reverses, speeds up injuring 18 people - TomoNews
- 7 years ago
HONG KONG — An escalator malfunction in a Mong Kok mall on Saturday left at least 18 people injured.
The escalator at Langham Place on Argyle Street connects the fourth and eighth floors, and is one of the longest in Hong Kong, according to the South China Morning Post.
Video footage recorded by several witnesses and CCTV shows the packed, 45-meter-long escalator moving “up” suddenly change directions and start to move “down.”
Witnesses said it sped up to twice or three times its normal speed, causing shoppers to lose their balance, fall over and pile up at the bottom of the escalator.
Police said one man suffered a head injury and was taken to the hospital where he remained in serious condition as of Saturday night, the South China Morning Post reported.
Officials said the malfunction may have been caused by one of the escalator’s two breaks and its non-reversing mechanism.
The escalator at Langham Place on Argyle Street connects the fourth and eighth floors, and is one of the longest in Hong Kong, according to the South China Morning Post.
Video footage recorded by several witnesses and CCTV shows the packed, 45-meter-long escalator moving “up” suddenly change directions and start to move “down.”
Witnesses said it sped up to twice or three times its normal speed, causing shoppers to lose their balance, fall over and pile up at the bottom of the escalator.
Police said one man suffered a head injury and was taken to the hospital where he remained in serious condition as of Saturday night, the South China Morning Post reported.
Officials said the malfunction may have been caused by one of the escalator’s two breaks and its non-reversing mechanism.