14 injured as escalator reverses at S.Korean subway station

Seoul, June 8

Fourteen people were injured on Thursday after an escalator reversed at a subway station in South Korea, police said.

The accident occurred at around 8.20 a.m. when the upwards escalator leading to exit 2 of Sunae Station on the Bundang Line reversed suddenly and went backward for several seconds, Yonhap News Agency quoted police and fire authorities as saying.

Three people were transported to a hospital after sustaining injuries on the back and legs.

Eleven others sustained minor injuries, received treatment and were sent home.

None of them were in life-threatening condition.

Police are looking into the exact cause of the accident but said there is little chance of someone using the escalator's manual operating system to reverse its direction.