Escalator glitch injures 5 in Kolkata metro

At least five persons were injured on Tuesday when an escalator at a Kolkata metro station malfunctioned, a metro official said.

The accident happened at Kabi Subhash metro station in South Kolkata's New Garia area at 10.45 a.m., when the escalator, instead of moving upwards, jolted downwards.

"We were on the escalator when it happened. Some people lost their balance and fell on each other. I received a minor injury and left the station after getting first aid from the metro staff," a passenger said.

The Kolkata Metro authorities apologised for the accident and said the issue would be thoroughly probed.

"This is an unexpected incident. It should not have happened. We are seriously looking into the issue and would try to make sure that it does not happen again," Indrani Banerjee, CPRO of Kolkata Metro Railway, said.

"The company that installed escalators at all the metro stations is also given the responsibility for maintenance. The last servicing was done on May 14. We will check why the escalator malfunctioned in spite of that," she added.