An escalator at Kwun Tong MTR station seized up yesterday after a scarf jammed in the mechanism and caused its top levels to break apart and separate, leaving a gaping hole.
Fortunately, no one was injured by the malfunction at about 10am, unlike last year’s notorious breakdown of a 45-meter ascending escalator in Mong Kok, which stopped, reversed and then sped up.
Still, it was a close shave for some commuters, according to a witness who spoke to Apple Daily.
One woman, surnamed Chan, said she was alerted to the fault by a loud bang, which she heard while standing on the platform.
Investigating the noise, Chan said she and other commuters found the part of the escalator — which led up to the platform — had broken apart, leaving a hole and parts of the escalator scattered across the floor.
“I was talking to some of the people there and some went ‘I was one step away from falling through that hole’,” Chan said.
“At first I thought the escalator had broken down, but then a member of staff lifted a panel and found a scarf. It looks like the scarf somehow got caught.”
