"Wear on Motor-Reducer Coupling"…Provisional Conclusion on Cause of Sunae Station Escalator Accident

The cause of the escalator reverse operation accident at Suin-Bundang Line Sunae Station on the 8th, which resulted in 14 injuries, has been tentatively concluded to be the wear of the coupling connecting the internal motor and the reducer.

On the 13th, starting from 10:35 a.m., the Seoul Regional Railroad Special Judicial Police conducted a joint on-site investigation with 19 people including officials from the National Forensic Service, Korea Elevator Safety Agency, and Korea Transportation Safety Authority, and announced the tentative conclusion through a mid-term investigation briefing around 5 p.m.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The joint investigation found that the accident occurred due to wear on the coupling of the driving device connecting the internal motor and the reducer of the escalator. As power transmission to the device was not properly delivered, the auxiliary brake, a braking device installed at the top of the escalator, did not operate, causing the escalator to fail to withstand the passenger load and reverse direction downward.

The railroad police have requested a detailed appraisal of the worn coupling from the National Forensic Service to identify the accident cause more precisely. A railroad police official stated, "The investigation is expected to be completed around 7 to 8 p.m. today," adding, "We will conduct a detailed analysis later not only on the cause of the coupling wear but also on why the auxiliary brake did not function properly."

The accident occurred around 8:20 a.m. on the 8th near exit 2 of Sunae Station, when an approximately 9-meter-long ascending escalator suddenly reversed downward. Fourteen people were injured in this accident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.