Bangkok’s Central Westgate shopping mall said Sunday that no one was hurt this weekend after a misleading video triggered fears that Thailand’s moving walkways are not to be trusted.
Responding to footage of a slipper wedged into the teeth of an escalator track, management at the Nonthaburi mall said the Saturday afternoon incident was caused when someone failed to step off in time, and their shoe became stuck in the escalator.
“Upon investigation, it was found that the cause was the customer’s failure to step off in time when the sliding stairs ended, causing the shoe to get caught in the last step of the escalator,” the statement read. “A mall employee who witnessed the incident immediately pressed the stop button of the sliding stairs, preventing any injuries.”
Last month, a fatal fire extinguisher explosion and maiming of a woman by a moving airport walkway stoked fears about public safety.
On Saturday, Saranya Tienthong posted an 18-second long clip of someone’s sandals stuck at the top of an escalator at the mall. In the video, staff can be seen attempting to remove the shoe.
@pook.saranya เหตุการณ์สดๆร้อนๆ บันไดเลื่อนอีกแล้ว 😨😰😱😱😱 #รองเท้าติดบันไดเลื่อน #บันไดเลื่อน ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – Saranya Tienthong
“Escalator, again,” the video’s caption read.
Not taking the bait, many commented that it was the sandal’s owner who was responsible and not the mall.
“This person didn’t lift their foot up on time until the shoe got stuck, but blamed the escalator,”
Parinya Nuangdulyasak wrote.
“These rubber shoes really stick tightly. You have to be very careful when going up the escalator,” another said.
In late June, a 57-year-old woman’s leg was amputated after it became stuck in and chewed up by a moving walkway at Don Mueang International Airport. The malfunction was caused by an equipment failure, apparently due to a lack of inspection and maintenance.
Central Westgate said in its statement that customer safety is its top priority and that it conducts equipment inspections regularly.
