Lucky escape for shoppers as escalator crumbles in Malaysian shopping mall

Several metal plates of an escalator decoupled and created a few explosive noisesat the Pandan Kapital shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 25, 2016. PHOTO: MALAYSIAN RESPONSE TEAM

KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Several metal plates of an escalator decoupled and created a few explosive noises during a malfunction at a shopping mall in Malaysia, seconds after it was used by shoppers.

No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred just after noon on Tuesday (Oct 25) at the Pandan Kapital shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur.

Traders at the mall said two shoppers were using the escalators seconds before the incident.

A trader, who declined to be named, said he heard a few loud sounds coming from one of the two escalators at the centre of the mall.

"I rushed out of my shop to check and saw some of the metal plates being lifted up," he said.

"Luckily it happened before the lunch break, otherwise the escalator would have been full of customers."

He also claimed that this was the second time such an incident had occurred.

The first incident was approximately two to three months ago.

Another trader said he was too worried to use the escalator now.

"Unless the management replaces the escalator, I would rather take the stairs," he added.

A check by The Star team found that both escalators meant for the upper floors of the mall had ceased operation, and patrons could only walk on them.

The mall's management could not be reached for comment.

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