HarbourFront Centre escalator protrudes out while woman & baby on it, both escape unharmed

UPDATE on May 14 at 10:40am: This article has been updated with information provided by the mall, which clarified that there were two shoppers on the escalator and the escalator was back in full working order. The update by the mall can be found here.

The steps at the top of an escalator at HarbourFront Centre apparently broke and protruded outwards suddenly on May 4.

A woman with a toddler and a stroller was on the escalator going up from the second to the third floor when the accident occurred at around 3pm.

Neither was injured.

Stairs at the top of the escalator protruded upwards

A video posted on Facebook showed the aftermath of the incident.

The stairs at the top of the escalator appeared disjointed.

When Mothership visited the scene on May 6, the area surrounding the escalator was cordoned off.

A notice informed shoppers that the escalator was under major repairs.

Customers were advised to use lifts or alternative escalators.

"We apologise for the inconvenience caused," said the HarbourFront Centre management team.

Repairs appeared to be underway, with the steps at the top of the escalator no longer protruding upwards.

Employee at a shop in mall saw what happened

An employee who worked on the second floor told Shin Min Daily News that a woman holding a baby was standing on the escalator when the incident occurred.

She said she heard a sudden loud "boom" and looked up to see the escalator damaged.

The escalator automatically stopped once it broke down.

The employee observed that the woman was so scared she could not move, and a man standing behind her quickly gestured at her to get off the escalator with the baby.

An employee said there was a collective sigh of relief when the woman made it down safely, noting that had she been closer to the top of the escalator, the situation could have ended badly.

The mall posted an update on May 9 saying the escalator is back in full working order.

They also stated that a shopper brought a stroller onto the escalator, where one of the wheels became caught between the steps.

"In an attempt to forcefully remove the stroller, the steps were subsequently dislodged, resulting in the escalator coming to a halt," they said, adding that the incident unfortunately affected another shopper who was midway on the escalator at the time.

The mall advised shoppers with strollers to use the lifts accessible on all floors at HarbourFront Centre.

Top image via Khine Zin Htet/Mothership and Sheryle O. Oro/Facebook