China Escalator Accident Claims The Life Of A Young Mother, Spurs Online Outrage

A China escalator accident has claimed the life of a young mother, and has created an online firestorm among Chinese internet users, angry at the way some Chinese businesses have little to no regard for their customers, The New York Times is reporting.

At about 10:00 A.M. local time on Sunday, 31-year-old Xiang Liujuan (in this case, Xiang is the family name, Liujuan is the given name) was at a mall in central China. As she and her son were getting on an escalator, a panel at the top gave way. As she was being sucked into the machinery of the escalator, she managed to push her small child to safety. Horrified mall employees tried to pull the woman to safety, but it was too late.

Her body was not recovered until 2:00 P.M. that afternoon, according to MSN.

As of this post, the cause of the escalator accident has not been officially released, but according to unconfirmed reports, maintenance workers had serviced the escalator recently, and apparently neglected to properly secure the metal panel that ultimately cost Ms. Xiang her life.

The escalator accident has provoked outrage in China, as some internet users have expressed disdain at the mall’s lack of oversight.

“Where were the screws to secure the panel? If the screws had been removed why didn’t they shut down the escalator? What brand was that escalator?”

In China, the government tightly controls the flow of information, both through state-controlled media outlets, and through heavy monitoring and censoring the internet. China is also loathe to allow discussion of events that may make China look bad. For example, last month, when a cruise ship capsized on the Yangtze River, killing over 400 people, the government banned reporters from the scene.

In spite of these tight controls, however, word of the escalator accident, and the outrage it has unleashed in the Chinese people, is spreading.

“Those responsible must be severely punished, so everybody in the industry can learn a lesson. We could be killed by any reckless mechanic! If we can’t trust the safety of everyday things like escalators and food, what can we trust?”

“The mall owner and manufacturer of the escalator should be fined to their bankruptcy.”

“This is heartbreaking! Why didn’t store employees cordon off or shut down the escalator? The department store definitely bears responsibility for this.”

The government of China has promised a “top-to-bottom” investigation of the escalator accident.

[Image courtesy of: YouTube]