PETALING JAYA • Dr Dalvinder Singh, 29, had just arrived at the low-cost carrier terminal in Sepang from Sarawak last Friday when he saw a two-year-old child at the bottom of an escalator being held by his father.

"My first thought was that the child had fallen down. Then, I noticed that the boy's hand, up to his forearm, was stuck in the escalator," he said. "The child was crying and I did not see anyone trying to help."

He was shocked to hear that the father was waiting for 15 minutes, from around 8.30pm, for someone to help him. "People were watching, their phones were out and they were taking videos but no one was assisting."

After checking on the boy, whose arm had gone slightly blue, he helped two airport staff pry open the escalator at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2. After a few minutes, the boy's arm was released. He was found to have sustained several deep cuts, and was bleeding.

Dr Singh quickly administered first aid and the boy was taken to a nearby clinic for further treatment.

Dr Singh, who is from the Sarawak State Health Department, said he was glad he could help the boy but added that the incident left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Referring to the bystanders, he said: "What is the point of posting photos of the incident and captioning 'oh so sad'? Why not help out?"

"No one can help everyone but everyone can help somebody," he added.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK