'I could have been swallowed alive': Scare at Hong Kong MTR station after screw causes escalator to jam during rush hour
Rush-hour passengers using an escalator in Quarry Bay MTR station on Thursday morning had a frightening flashback to a deadly tragedy on the mainland when a wayward screw wedged in a step groove, causing the mechanism to jam.
Rush-hour passengers using an escalator in Quarry Bay MTR station on Thursday morning had a frightening flashback to a deadly tragedy on the mainland when a wayward screw wedged in a step groove, causing the mechanism to jam.
Pictures taken by passengers showed a number of steps at the top of the upward-moving escalator out of line and damaged.
One passenger posted on Facebook: “It’s like just one step away or I could have been swallowed alive.”
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He said there was a loud “bang” when his ride on the escalator connecting the Tseung Kwan O line and the Island line platforms was almost finished.
The escalator ground to a sudden stop. He immediately looked around for “big holes” but there were none. No injuries were reported.
An MTR spokeswoman said a “foreign” 1.5-inch screw from an unknown source got stuck between steps and the combs at about 9.20am. A safety device brought the escalator to a halt.