News
Escalator Accident at Tokyo Model Festival Injures 10
posted on by Mikhail Koulikov
An escalator accident at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center injured 10 attendees of the Summer Wonder Festival garage-kit convention on Sunday. According to reports in the Japanese press, there were about 120 people on the escalator leading from a ground-floor entrance to a fourth-floor event room when it stopped without warning and changed direction. None of the 10 injuries were serious, and police are investigating whether the cause of the accident was overloading or a malfunction of the escalator's motor. The particular model of escalator is rated for a maximum weight of 130 kilograms (about 290 pounds) per step and has a total of 78 steps.
To avoid similar accidents, some North American convention venues have been shutting off their escalators entirely during heavily attended events such as anime conventions.
Sources: Mainichi Daily News
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