William Rainer
In a subway station in South Korea, the escalator slammed full of travelers, played the Uno reverse card on its passengers and hurled them to the floor.
Videos by Rare
The incident was caught by a security camera and revealed an entirely unexpected switchback. The video shows the escalator packed to the brim with folks heading up to the next floor, or so they thought. In the blink of an eye, the machine reversed its course and sent the folks tumbling.
Startling Footage Shows the Terrifying Incident
Unfortunately, the accident occurred at 8:20 am, rush hour for this subway station. Three of the people were severely injured and sent to the hospital, while eleven more sustained minor injuries. The local emergency teams from Gyeonggi Fire Services were alerted. After arriving they took care of the stunned and battered people, then blockaded the escalator. A bystander said: “I thought people were filming a disaster movie after seeing so many people crowded around the fenced exit,” according to the New York Post.
It is currently unclear how or why the escalator went rogue. The escalator goes under monthly inspections in addition to the standard yearly inspections by the government. It was deemed perfectly fine the month prior to the wild ride.
The station is under investigation. It is not currently believed that there was any foul play, meaning no one tampered with the escalator controls. That leaves us to question the legitimacy of the inspections.
This also caused many locals to worry as many who use the escalator are older citizens and need to use it to get to and from work. Thankfully no one was fatally injured and the authorities will be sure to get the rollercoaster wannabe under control.
