SINGAPORE - A woman was injured on Wednesday (Aug 2) after the escalator she was travelling on in a Sengkang mall was believed to have suddenly stopped, causing her to tumble down more than 10 steps.

The middle-aged victim was taking the escalator from the second floor to the first around 2pm in Rivervale Mall when it allegedly jerked to a stop.

Mr Elson Hit, who works in a nearby shop, heard a shout and rushed out to see what had happened.

"Because she had just got onto the escalator, she rolled more than 10 steps before reaching the bottom," said the 21-year-old.

"The people behind her quickly grabbed onto the handrail. More would have fallen otherwise."

The woman was conscious and taken to Changi General Hospital. An eyewitness said medical staff at Rivervale Mall attended to her before the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived at the scene.

The SCDF said they were alerted to the incident at 2.50pm. They dispatched one ambulance.

The escalator resumed operations at about 8pm on Wednesday, after access was blocked off following the incident. Mr Hit said he saw maintenance staff working on the escalator in the interim.

ST has contacted the management for more information.