The elevator malfunctioned at BRAC University in Dhaka.
Credit: X/@Jane_ahib
An escalator, which appeared to be in Dhaka's BRAC University, suddenly picked up speed, posing a scare to the students using it. The video, which has now gone viral on social media, showed the escalator speeding up and groups of people around it panicking due to the dangers presented.
Many students were heard shouting "move, move, move", some tried to hold on to people near them, others trying to to gain balance by holding the handrails. The unexpected malfunction took the students by surprise, and the clip ended with no reported injuries.
All the students alighted out of the escalator safely amid the chaos that ensued.
Viewers online began raising questions on measures taken to avoid such circumstances. Many commented on how such malfunctions could have accelerated into an injurious situation, emphasising on footfall during peak hours.
"Extremely scary...this is one of my worst nightmares," a user wrote.
While some claim that the video could have been sped up, the internet raised their concerns for the increased intensity of the escalator.
"Oh! That could’ve been very dangerous!!!" another user commented.
As options to ensure safety are limited in such enclosed are limited, the panic caused during such events can be dangerous.
The university has yet to release a statement explaining the cause of the malfunction, or on the type of mechanical or systematical error that could have taken place.
The incident adds to the increasing number of reported infrastructural malfunctions in open spaces. This adds to the need of strict checks on machines the public use daily.