Hong Kong escalator probe to take months as key driving gear components found ‘all broken’
Initial investigation into horrific mall incident that left 18 people injured finds ‘double mishap’ in system
A full investigation into unexplained damage found in Hong Kong’s longest escalator will take two to three months, according to government engineers probing last Saturday’s accident that left 18 people injured in one of the city’s busiest shopping malls.
A triple chain driving the 45-metre long escalator at Langham Place was broken – possibly causing it to suddenly reverse at high speed last Saturday and send terrified shoppers tumbling down. The investigation will also look into the failure of an auxiliary braking system to kick in.
“Our initial finding is that the drive chain in the escalator was broken. The [braking] system also malfunctioned and failed to stop the escalator,” Electrical and Mechanical Services Department assistant director Eric Pang Yiu-hung said on Wednesday. “What happened was a double mishap and that’s very rare.”
Three chains forming a “triplex” connected the driving gear of the escalator with the wheels of its steps. If this triplex became uncoupled or loosened, a safety device should have brought the escalator to an immediate halt.
“In general, such investigations will be completed in about two to three months. We will need to take the components to a lab for materials analysis to find out the real cause of the break,” Pang said.