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LTA keeps escalator at Orchard MRT closed after injuries to four caused by mishap

LTA keeps escalator at Orchard MRT closed after injuries to four caused by mishap

[UPDATE 25 December 11:15am Adding cause of accident and LTA comments]

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has said that an escalator at Orchard MRT station where four people were injured in an accident on Monday evening will remain closed while it investigates the matter.

Two women and two girls were injured in the incident which occurred at the escalator at the end of an underground linkway from the MRT station leading up to the basement level of shopping mall Tangs, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

According to media reports, the injuries were caused after the escalator suddenly halted.

A spokesperson for SCDF said it received a call for assistance at 7:36pm on Monday, and when paramedics arrived about 12 minutes later, they found four people injured. The victims were then conveyed to hospital accordingly.

One lady in her 40s sustained lacerations on her right eyebrow and both legs, while another woman in her 60s sustained abrasions on her right shin and complained of pain at her right lower back, the spokesperson said.
 
Meanwhile, a 13-year-old girl was found to have lacerations on her left knee, while an 11-year-old girl sustained a minor abrasion on her left ankle. Both women to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment, and the girls to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, said the spokesperson.
 
A report by The Straits Times said that the incident was caused by the escalator suddenly halting, sending them falling.

The report also quoted an LTA spokesman saying that it "takes the issue seriously and will be investigating the cause of the incident".
 
Yahoo Singapore has contacted the LTA for more information about the incident.