There has been a public outcry over escalator safety in China after a woman died in a horrific accident at a shopping mall yesterday in Hubei Province.
Thirty-year-old mother Xiang Liujuan just managed to push her child to safety after a panel gave way at the top of the escalator they had just ascended.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, it took rescue crews four hours to recover Xiang’s body–
Closed-circuit television footage from the mall in Jingzhou city shows a member of staff reaching out to grab Xiang as the escalator’s machinery pulls her down and out of site.
The municipal government of Jingzhou said the accident happened at about 10am local time on Sunday, 26 July.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, it took rescue crews four hours to recover Xiang’s body.
Xinhua reported that the accident was today the most searched-for topic on Sina Weibo, China’s social media equivalent to Twitter, prompting a flurry of questions about whether the escalator had been properly maintained and operated.
Local authorities have launched an investigation into the accident.
Photograph: Closed-circuit television footage captured the horrific accident, and has gone viral on Chinese social media (YouTube video)
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I seem to recall something similar with an escalator in Sheffield between Pond Street Bus Station and Arundel Gate- 1970s?
So very tragic for this family. No words can soften the loss of a mother.
Lots of questions will be asked, was there a planned maintenance programme in place, and was it adhered to ? Was the machine age- past it life expectancy? Or was it metal fatigue?
In my experience [18 years London Underground] one of the biggest issues with escalators was the wheels of buggies constantly being trapped [ along with the digits from animals paws] becoming trapped in the machinery at the top and bottom of the escalator.
On a recent trip to Madrid, I noticed warning signage on the Metro system prohibiting buggies on escalators, but this was in case of entrapment, not catastrophic collapse as appears in the article.
Will there be a H& S review /inquiry across this network? Will said review and recommendations be enforced?
Regards,
Garrett Dorman
My thoughts go out to this family.