Firemen had to be called yesterday to rescue a woman - from a massage machine - after 30 minutes of efforts by staff failed to release her from the Oto Big Foot she was considering buying.
The 44-year-old woman enjoyed the first 15 minutes of a trial of the product in a Central shop. But then she noticed pressure on her left foot and could not move it, a police spokeswoman said.
Staff at the Oto counter of the Wing On Department Store in Des Voeux Road Central quickly turned off the machine and tried to free her. Thirty minutes later they had to admit defeat and called the emergency unit. Firefighters managed to free the woman by disassembling the massage machine - with force, the spokeswoman said.
The woman was taken to Queen Mary Hospital for treatment and discharged. Staff who accompanied her said they were sorry for the bizarre accident and would investigate its cause immediately.
Last night Oto withdrew the Big Foot from sale, just a month after it was launched, and said anyone concerned about a Big Foot they had bought should ring the company on 2549 4611.