An escalator in a Hong Kong shopping center suddenly went into reverse and began moving at an accelerated speed Saturday, injuring at least 18 in the resulting crush of people at the bottom of the device’s path.
A video taken during the incident at Mong Kok’s Langham Place shows one side of the escalator stop going up and begin to go down at a much quicker speed, with people scrambling to get out of the way but getting stuck at the bottom and crushed together or falling on top of one another.
Emergency crews responded to the scene and at least one man had a head injury and was in serious condition, according to CNN.
The escalator had been routinely inspected only last week, and the cause of the malfunction is being investigated.
Two mechanics in charge of making sure the escalator was running properly were arrested for obstructing justice. It is suspected that they may have tampered with the auxiliary braking system after the accident, CNN reported.
Otis Elevator Company, which maintains the escalator, is participating in the investigation but was surprised the mechanics were arrested, according to The Huffington Post, which reported that initial assessments pointed to a chain and emergency brake malfunction.
Otis plans to defend the mechanics as the situation is investigated and clarified, CNN reported.
Some Twitter users thought the incident was funny, while others hoped their Twitter friends were not in the pile-up it created.
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