13-Year-Old Boy Dies Falling From Escalator While 'Trying To Slide Down'

In a tragic incident, a 13-year-old boy died after he fell from an escalator at a mall in Ranchi, the capital city of India’s Jharkhand, on Saturday.

The boy, identified as Parthiv Shah, had gone to the mall for shopping with his relatives when the incident took place. CCTV footage showed the boy standing at the top of the escalator on the first floor of the mall, keeping his hands on the moving handrail. Suddenly, he climbs on the handrail and falls. He hangs on the handrail for a few seconds before losing grip and falling to the ground. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead.

“He was declared dead on arrival. It seems he was trying to slide down the ground floor through the handrail. The matter is being probed. Police will also look into the security aspects at malls,” a police officer said.

Calling the incident avoidable and unfortunate, the mall manager said the guardians should look after the children. The manager added that the escalators were installed “conforming to global security norms.”

“We also conduct fire and security drills every month. Our security guards are instructed to watch people near escalators or even the glass wall (at the mall). But we request parents and guardians to be more vigilant,” the manager said.

Recalling the incident, one of the employees working at a departmental store on the mall’s ground floor said, “The boy dropped headlong in front of me. His skull was fractured, and within seconds there was blood all around. He even did not cry. He was motionless. I think he died on the spot.”

Another employee said a security guard had “stopped him thrice when he was touching the handrail or hovering near the escalator.”

A witness said, “The boy was rubbing his body against the escalator's conveyor belt. He was playfully trying to stop with all his might. In the process, he got his pants stuck in the belt and was pulled along.”

A police source said the boy’s parents were in a state of shock and his mother, who is pregnant, was “traumatized by the news and has been advised complete bed rest.”