Woman saves son before dying in horrific escalator accident

Woman saves son before dying in horrific escalator accident

A young mother in Hubei, China has died after the platform at the end of a shopping mall escalator collapsed just as she stepped onto it.

30-year-old Xiang Liu Juan managed to save her two-year-old son, who then watched helplessly as his mother fell through the hole in the floor.

China Central Television (CCTV) News reported that the accident happened at a shopping mall in Jingzhou on Sunday.

Surveillance cameras showed Xiang and her son travelling from the sixth floor to the seventh floor on the escalator. She had lifted her son up to help him alight from the escalator when the floor plate collapsed.

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As she fell, she could be seen pushing her young son forward into the hands of a mall employee, who then grabbed him and pulled him to safety.

The employee then tried to reach out to the mother but there was little she could do as Xiang had disappeared into the hole.

Realising what had happened, another employee quickly carries the boy away from the scene.

Chinese media reported that Xiang's husband was still at the bottom of the escalator when he saw his wife fall.

The mall was reportedly completed just three years ago, and is one of the tallest shopping malls in the area.

While the cause of the incident is still being investigated, QQ News said that some people have speculated that the floor plates were not locked into place after maintenance works were completed recently.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

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