Passengers abandoned in Shenzhen metro tunnel after train door opens

Three passengers were abandoned by a Shenzhen metro train on Sunday evening after it stopped in a tunnel and one of the carriage doors opened suddenly, local media reported on Monday.

The three passengers were travelling on the Luobao line, riding in the rear carriage of a train that came to a halt in the tunnel between Gangxia station and the Convention & Exhibition Centre station.

One passenger, surnamed Wu, told New Express Daily his wife was squeezed out of the overcrowded train when the door suddenly opened. Wu then jumped from the carriage to rescue his wife.

Another man leapt from the train shortly afterwards, the report said, but the door quickly shut and the train started to move again, abandoning the three at the scene.

They called the police and “had to hold onto a fire hydrant [to avoid] being hit by another train cruising past them shortly after,” the report cited Wu as saying.

Metro staff hurried to the scene and within minutes lead the passengers out of the tunnel, according to Wu. The three were not reported to be injured.

A Shenzhen Metro spokeswoman surnamed Tang told South China Morning Post on Monday the accident was triggered by a scuffle that broke out between two passengers in the carriage. The chaos prompted someone to pull the emergency cord that eventually brought the train to a stop.

Tang declined to explain why the train driver opted to abandon the trio at the scene, adding the authority is still investigating the case.

Meanwhile in southeastern city Hangzhou on Sunday a metro car broke down in a tunnel beneath the Qiantang River.

More than 100 passengers had to walk along the track for half of an hour to escape.

Hangzhou Metro said the train’s engine failed due to a sudden break in its power supply, according to a report in the Qianjiang Evening News. The Metro spokesman added that it is still investigating the cause of power cut.