Faulty escalator at The Arcade serviced about a week before near-accident

A woman riding on the escalator narrowly escaped injury when the steps in front of her snapped into three pieces. PHOTO: LIANHE WANBAO
The escalator, which goes from the first to the second floor, has since been shut down. PHOTO: LIANHE WANBAO

SINGAPORE - The escalator at The Arcade in Raffles Place that malfunctioned earlier this week, causing one of its steps to break, was recently serviced, the building's management said on Friday (Jan 8).

"According to the service report provided by the escalator maintenance company, the affected escalator was last serviced on December 28 (2015) and there was no report of any fault," a spokeswoman for The Arcade told The Straits Times.

On Tuesday (Jan 5), a woman riding on the escalator narrowly escaped injury when the steps in front of her snapped into three pieces. She was so shocked that she had to be comforted by passers-by, Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported.

The building management was unable to identify the woman as she did not report the incident to them.

The escalator, which goes from the first to the second floor, has since been shut down, the spokeswoman said, adding: " We are currently awaiting a report from the escalator maintenance company on the cause of the malfunction."

There are eight escalators at The Arcade, which are all maintained and serviced once a month.

osadaj@sph.com.sg

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