Escalator in China mall 'opens its mouth'

Two steps on a running escalator in a mall in north-eastern China's Shenyang city suddenly caved in on Monday afternoon, shocking passers-by. No one was using it at the time.

"Suddenly, there was a loud rattling and then someone shouted: 'Escalator has opened its mouth, stop it quickly!' " a woman told a Shenyang Evening Daily reporter who rushed to the scene.

Later, the reporter saw repairmen remove two bent panels from the holes in the escalator.

Last month, a young woman was killed when she fell into a hole on an escalator at a mall in central Hubei province's Jingzhou city.

A spate of escalator incidents following the mishap has heightened concerns over escalator safety in China.

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