Escalators suspended after fatal accident

china.org.cn, July 6, 2011

Escalators were taken out of service on the Beijing Metro following an accident yesterday that left a 13-year-old boy dead and 30 people injured, three seriously.

The Metro operator said the morning rush hour incident was caused by a malfunction on an escalator made by OTIS, the world's largest escalator manufacturer, according to Shanghai Daily.

Now 10 OTIS escalators have been suspended until checks take place.

The up escalator that suddenly slammed into reverse was still in its guarantee period, said Yang Ling, a spokeswoman with the subway operator Beijing MTR Corporation, reported Xinhua News agency.

The manufacturer completed a routine check on June 22, she added.

The accident took place at 9:36am at the A exit of the Beijing Zoo station on Metro Line 4. People on the escalator fell backwards, piling up on others at the bottom.

The boy who died came from Anhui Province with his father. They were buried beneath a pile of people, a witness told Xinhua.

The boy's father is being treated for spinal injuries in the intensive care unit room in the People's Hospital of Peking University.

Some witnesses said the man had been taking his son and daughter to the zoo. The girl was said to have suffered head injuries and was taken to Beijing Children's Hospital.

Most of the injured were stable last night, although three were in a serious condition. Nine slightly wounded people have been discharged, said Yang.

China Central Television showed footage of patients in wheelchairs who appeared to have suffered fractures, bruises and scrapes.

An injured woman and her sister said the escalator rattled for about two seconds before it suddenly rolled downwards "like loss of gravity," reported the Caixin Online.

According to the National Business Daily, OTIS has dispatched a team to investigate.

Metro Line 4, which runs from north to west, has 24 stations with some 300 escalators from 10 manufacturers.

The Beijing government has demanded a probe and requested all subway operators to launch examination of facilities.

Last year, loose bolts caused an escalator at a Metro station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, to reverse, injuring 25 people.

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