10 injured as escalator stops abruptly at Tokyo exhibition hall

TOKYO, Aug. 4 Kyodo - An ascending escalator at Tokyo Big Sight, a major exhibition hall in Tokyo's Koto Ward, stopped abruptly Sunday, causing a number of people to topple over, with 10 being taken to hospital after sustaining injuries, firefighters and
police said.

Of the 10, a 31-year-old man suffered a right cut to his right ankle, while the nine others sustained minor injuries. Investigators are looking into the maintenance of the escalator, they said.

The escalator was manufactured by Nippon Otis Elevator Co. and has been in operation since April 1996. Fourteen people sustained minor injuries in a similar accident involving an escalator made by the company in a Nagoya subway station in May.

Sunday's accident occurred around 10 a.m. when about 120 people escorted by
security personnel got on the 16-meter-long escalator linking the first and
fourth floors in the west hall of the building.
Most of the people were heading for the Wonder Festival 2008 Summer exhibition
and sale of cartoon character figures, which had just opened.
When the first batch of people reached a point near the third floor, the
escalator stopped suddenly and began descending, police said. A member of the
building's staff pushed an emergency button and stopped the escalator.
''Suddenly, there was rattling sound and the escalator stopped and started
descending, so I fled upstairs,'' said one witness who was on the escalator.
''Some people further down appeared to have fallen.''
Nippon Otis staff checked the escalator Tuesday as part of regular maintenance
work and found no problems, according to the police.
After the accident in Nagoya in May, investigators concluded that a broken bolt
was the likely cause.
==Kyodo