Escalator accident at subway station leaves 14 injured

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Escalator accident at subway station leaves 14 injured

Access to escalators going up and down exit No. 2 at Sunae Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi is restricted on Thursday morning after 14 people were injured when an escalator going upward suddenly went into reverse. [YONHAP]

Access to escalators going up and down exit No. 2 at Sunae Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi is restricted on Thursday morning after 14 people were injured when an escalator going upward suddenly went into reverse. [YONHAP]

 
An escalator suddenly went into reverse at a subway station on the Bundang Line in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, injuring 14 people on Thursday morning.
 
The accident occurred around 8:19 a.m. after an escalator heading upward toward exit No. 2 at Sunae Station started moving downward, throwing people off the 20-meter-long (66-foot-long) escalator, according to Gyeonggi Fire Services.
 
Three people were seriously injured in the accident and hospitalized, while 11 others who sustained minor injuries on their arms and legs returned home after treatment.
 
Authorities restricted access to the exit and two social service agents have been dispatched to guard the area.
 
The accident during rush hours worried many residents in the area.
 
“My daughter and son always use exit No. 2 when they go to work and return home,” a 65-year-old resident surnamed Park said.
 
“I was worried if my children were hurt after hearing about many people getting injured in the accident,” Park said, concerned about how people could now use the escalator, especially as many older adults live in the area.
 
There are a total of four exits at Sunae Station. 
 
Exit No. 3, which leads in the same direction as exit No. 2, has been closed since June 20 due to construction, leaving exit No. 2 the only way for passengers to reach destinations near the two exits.
 
“I thought people were filming a disaster movie after seeing so many people crowded around the fenced exit,” a 68-year-old resident surnamed Kang said.
 
“It is terrifying to see such an accident happened because the floating population at Sunae Station is high since it is connected to the Bundang branch of Lotte Department Store.”
 
According to Korea Railroad Corporation, some 13,336 people got on the subway at Sunae Station while 13,196 people got off at the station this year, making the station one of the most popular stations in southern Gyeonggi.
 
In a monthly inspection conducted by a maintenance company last month, the escalator was reported to have no defects.  
 
Regular safety inspections are conducted on the escalator, done by a maintenance company every month and the Korea Elevator Safety Agency once a year.
 
The Railroad Special Judicial Police Unit under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will be in charge of investigating the accident. It promised to look into whether there were any defects and if proper inspections were done.
 
“Authorities, including the fire services, are currently looking into the cause of the accident,” Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon said on Twitter after the accident was reported in the morning.
 
“We will investigate thoroughly so that no similar accidents occur.”
 
The Gyeonggi Provincial Office held a training session last December to give fire authorities and police practice responding to escalator accidents.  
 

BY SON SUNG-BAE, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]
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