Nonthaburi shopping centre halts escalator after flip-flop mishap causes safety concerns

A footwear mishap at a bustling shopping centre in Nonthaburi caught the attention of onlookers and spurred immediate safety precautions. A video shared by Pook Saranya, a TikTok user, revealed a flip-flop getting trapped in an escalator, creating a temporary halt in its operation. Subsequent attempts by a custodian and a security officer to retrieve the trapped footwear are captured in the clip.

A reporter arrived at the scene yesterday at around 7pm, the escalator to the second floor in the centre’s pink zone. The area was abuzz with people. The diligent shopping centre’s security staff routinely checked the escalator for potential hazards.

@pook.saranya เหตุการณ์สดๆร้อนๆ บันไดเลื่อนอีกแล้ว 😨😰😱😱😱 #รองเท้าติดบันไดเลื่อน #บันไดเลื่อน ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – Saranya Tienthong

Saranya, a 34 year old employee of a sales company, and the person behind the shared video revealed the incident. She was working at a booth around 10.59am yesterday when she noticed the crowd gathering around the escalator. Realising the operation of the escalator had ceased due to a flip-flop lodged in it, and the shoppers having to walk up, she pulled out her phone to film the incident. Soon, a custodian and a security officer of the shopping centre came to the scene, attempting to pull out the stuck flip-flop, reported Sanook.

Saranya mentioned the owner of the flip-flop was a man in his early thirties, who seemed unaffected by the incident and casually walked away while talking on his phone. The event left Saranya wondering how easily the footwear was sucked up by the escalator and ignited fears about using the escalator.

The shopping centre later issued a statement clarifying the situation. According to the statement, the flip flop was jammed in the escalator as the user couldn’t step up in time, resulting in the footwear getting trapped at the end of the escalator at around 2pm on July 15. The centre’s personnel reacted swiftly to the situation and halted the operation of the escalator. The incident didn’t cause any injuries.

The shopping centre said it cherishes the well-being and safe shopping experience of its customers. They have proactive safety measures in place, including regular monitoring and maintenance conducted by skilled technicians. With ongoing training for their personnel, the centre is well equipped to deal with emergencies.

The shopping centre noted that it appreciates constructive advice and feedback to improve the overall shopping experience for its patrons, intending to incorporate them in their future developments.

In this case, no one was hurt, this couldn’t be said about an unfortunate woman on a Bangkok airport escalator who lost half of her leg. Read more about the incident HERE.