Escalator in Bangladesh university goes rogue, abruptly surges forward in viral video
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A screengrab shows students at BRAC University in Dhaka stumbling and grasping at the handrails of an escalator that suddenly surged forward.
PHOTO: JAGGIRM RANBIR/X
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An escalator at a university in Bangladesh went rogue, accelerating abruptly and nearly throwing off dozens of students riding it and causing a pile-up.
A 16-second clip circulating on social media this week shows two adjacent escalators at BRAC University in Dhaka operating at markedly different speeds.
One moves at a normal pace; the other abruptly surges forward.
Students stepping onto the faster escalator stumble and grasp at the handrails, while others rush to exit at the landing, struggling to keep their footing.
Shouts of “move! move! move!” can be heard amid screams from riders and nearby onlookers.
No serious injuries have been publicly reported. But the video – which has since attracted close to 800,000 views on one X account and reposted by many news organisations – has prompted a wave of concerns on social media. Users questioned the reliability of the university’s infrastructure and the maintenance of its mechanical systems.
As of Dec 18, the university had not issued an official explanation for the malfunction or detailed what safety checks or corrective measures were being undertaken.
Freak escalator incidents, while relatively rare, are not unprecedented.
In recent years, sudden reversals, speed surges and abrupt stops have caused injuries in public spaces around the world, including subway stations, shopping malls and airports.
In 2023, several people in the Philippines were injured when an escalator at a sprawling mall that was taking them one floor up abruptly slid backwards, causing a terrifying pile-up.
More than 20 people were hurt in 2018 when an escalator at a subway station in Rome abruptly sped up. Footage shared on social media showed people being crushed at the bottom as stairs on the escalator crumpled.
Similar incidents have been reported in China, Turkey and the United States, often linked to mechanical failures, inadequate maintenance or faulty braking systems.
Safety experts note that modern escalators are designed with multiple fail-safe mechanisms, including speed governors, emergency stop buttons and anti-reversal devices.
International standards typically require routine inspections and load testing, particularly in high-traffic environments such as schools and transit hubs.
When those systems fail – or are improperly maintained – even a brief malfunction can lead to panic-driven falls and pileups, which account for many escalator-related injuries.
Online reactions to the BRAC University video reflected both shock and relief.
“No matter which country this happens in, it’s horrific,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “This could have ended much worse.”
