18 injured after escalator in HK mall suddenly reverses and causes shoppers to roll down

The Straits Times
Saturday, Mar 25, 2017

At least 18 people were injured in Langham Place on Saturday (March 25) afternoon after an escalator stopped and reversed, according to the South China Morning Post. 

Video footage showed the escalator changing its direction at a high speed, causing a pile-up of people at its base.

Eyewitnesses recounted seeing four men and 14 women lose their balance and roll down the escalator. One man injured his head and was sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said a police spokeswoman, SCMP reported.

A woman who injured her leg in the accident said the escalator was moving twice as fast as usual. She added that the same escalator had stopped for a few minutes at noon that day.

The South China Morning Post reported that the assistant divisional officer of Tsim Sha Tsui fire station said all the injured were conscious and had not broken any bones. It had been moving from the fourth to the eighth floor.

The incident took place around 4pm local time.

A Langham Place spokeswoman told the South China Morning Post that the mall management will be offering assistance to the victims and fully cooperate with investigations. She also said that the escalator had just passed a biannual safety inspection on March 23.

Otis Elevator Company (HK) Limited, the company responsible for the elevators in the mall, will also be investigating the fault.

The escalator in the busy Mong Kok shopping mall on Argyle Street is one of the longest indoor escalators in Hong Kong.