Society
1 dead, 28 injured in Beijing subway accident
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-07-05 13:49
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The entrance of the Zoo Station on Subway Line 4 is closed after an escalator accident occured in Beijing Tuesday morning. [Photo/Xinhua] |
BEIJING - A 13-year-old boy on the way to the zoo with his father and sister was killed and 28 others injured -- two seriously -- after an escalator accident at a Beijing subway stop.
The incident happened at 9:36 am at the A exit of the Zoo Station on Line 4, said the information office of the Beijing municipal government.
Witnesses said the rising escalator suddenly changed its direction and caused more than 20 passengers to fall.
On photos posted by witnesses on microblogs on weibo.com, several people are seen lying on the ground at the bottom of the escalator and being helped by others. Blood can be seen on the floor.
"People pressed into a pile, and the boy and his father were buried under others," said an injured witness, who was another father going to with his child to the zoo. His child was not hurt.
The deceased boy's father is in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Peking University People's Hospital, doctors said.
The boy's sister suffered a head injury and has been transferred to Beijing Children's Hospital, doctors said.
Four others are receiving medical treatment in the ICU at Peking University People's Hospital.
As of noon, the A exit and D exit remained closed and only exit C was open.
Beijing MTR Corporation, which operates the Line 4 subway, posted a brief statement about the accident on its website, mtr.bj.cn, which provided the same explanation as the government's press release.
The company said it has already launched an emergency response and all injured people have been sent to hospitals.
It expressed sorrow to the victim and his family and apologized to the injured people, and it will guarantee effective medical treatment to the injured.
The government has demanded a probe into the accident while asking all subway operators to immediately launch checks of facilities to ensure their safety.