Escalator trips per minute…passengers per minute
- allforyouclick
- 0
- on Jun 09, 2023
Fourteen people were injured when an escalator at Subway Bundang Line’s Susan Station reversed during rush hour.
According to the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, at around 8:20 a.m. on the 8th, the upbound escalator at Exit 2 of Suisan Station in Bundang-gu스포츠토토, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, stopped and suddenly ran in reverse, causing passengers to roll or fall.
In the accident, three passengers, including Mr. A, suffered injuries to their backs and legs and are being hospitalized at a hospital. Eleven people, including Mr. B, were treated for relatively minor injuries and have since returned home.
On the morning of the 8th, an escalator at Suunae Station on Bundang Line in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, suddenly reversed, causing passengers to fall down. Courtesy of Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Management Center
The escalator was operating normally, carrying passengers to the ground, when it suddenly paused and was pushed backwards a few seconds later.
Police believe that it is unlikely that someone activated the escalator’s manual control device at the scene.
Although Korea Railroad Corporation is the main operator of the Bundang Line, it was confirmed that the operation and management of the escalator is handled by a separate contractor.
The Subway Judicial Police and the Korea Elevator Safety Corporation plan to investigate the exact cause of the accident through witness statements and on-site analysis.
Paramedics rescue an injured person at the scene of a reverse-running accident of an escalator at Suseok in Bundang, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, on Monday morning. Yonhap
An eyewitness account posted online said, “The escalator that was going up was going down quickly in reverse, and passengers were swept away in groups.”
The accident is reminiscent of the “escalator backup accident at Yatap Station on Bundang Line” 10 years ago.
On July 18, 2013, at around 8:30 p.m., the upbound escalator at Exit 4 of Yatap Station suddenly reversed, injuring 39 people on their way home from work.
A view of the counterfeit escalator’s “pinion gear.” Courtesy of Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office
At the time, there was extreme chaos as passengers fell backwards in a jumble.
The cause of the accident at Yatap Station was that an employee of an escalator maintenance company replaced the “pinion gear,” which connects the reducer and motor, with a counterfeit part during the repair process, according to a prosecution investigation.