Boy, 3, gets his toes mangled by an escalator after getting his foot trapped in a gap

A little boy may lose his foot after having his toes trapped and crushed in an escalator at a popular shopping centre in China.

The three-year-old was taking a downward escalator when half of his foot was stuck in a gap on the side of the moving stairs, his mother told reporters.

The child reportedly fractured his foot in multiple places and broke his tendon.

Horrifying: CCTV footage shows the boy’s foot getting trapped in the escalator in China 

Bystanders gather to help the boy after his toes got jammed

The escalator reportedly didn't halt until the child's mother manually pressed an emergency button at the bottom

Bystanders gather to help the boy after his toes got jammed. The escalator reportedly didn’t halt until the child’s mother manually pressed an emergency button at the bottom

The manufacturer of the escalator and the mall claimed the incident was caused by the shoes the child was wearing because they were ‘too soft’. 

The devastated mother, however, claimed the escalator didn’t stop as it dragged her son along until she pressed the emergency button at the bottom of the machine.

CCTV footage from the popular shopping complex known as Joy City in North China’s Tianjin Municipality shows the moment the three-year-old boy named ‘Mao Mao’ snagged his left foot in the escalator side panel.

Tianjin Hospital doctor Zhang Zhongli has revealed the child fractured his foot in six places and also broke his tendon.

Zhang called the boy’s condition ‘very severe’ and ‘at risk of amputation’.

Mao Mao was with his mother, Li Yan, and his 10-year-old sister at the time of the accident.  

After he got his foot trapped in the machine, the escalator reportedly didn’t halt until his parent manually pressed an emergency button at the bottom.

Li, who was about to take her two children home when the incident happened, said: ‘We stepped onto the escalator and my child suddenly said: “Mum, my foot!”‘

She added: ‘The next thing I knew his foot was stuck inside the escalator.’

Heartbreaking footage shows rescuers trying to dismantle the side panel in order to free the boy’s foot.

A doctor has called the boy's condition 'very severe' and 'at risk of amputation', said reports

A doctor has called the boy’s condition ‘very severe’ and ‘at risk of amputation’, said reports

The three-year-old, known by his nickname Mao Mao, has undergone four hours of surgery

The three-year-old, known by his nickname Mao Mao, has undergone four hours of surgery

The hospital said the boy fractured his foot in six places and broke his tendon after X-ray

The child was taken to the Tianjin Hospital for emergency treatment

The hospital said the boy fractured his foot in six places and broke his tendon after X-ray

It took the fire service 10 minutes to arrive and 20 minutes to free Mao Mao.

His mother said: ‘His flesh was exposed at that point while trying to pull himself free.’

She added: ‘I don’t understand why the escalator didn’t stop on its own. I had to press the button myself.’

A shopping centre spokesman said a fail-safe was built into the escalator, but it does not immediately stop the device in order to prevent people on the device falling over.

Mao Mao was with his mother, Li Yan (pictured), and his 10-year-old sister at the time

Mao Mao was with his mother, Li Yan (pictured), and his 10-year-old sister at the time

Joy City has also sparked anger among social media users after claiming it was the boy’s shoes that caused the accident, saying the sandals he was wearing on the day were ‘too soft’, which allowed his foot to become stuck in the side skirt.

Mao Mao has since undergone four hours of surgery. 

Medics are waiting to see how his foot responds to treatment. Doctor Zhang said the child is not out of harm’s way just yet.

It is still unclear whether Joy City plans to compensate the family for the accident, which has left the majority of social media users blaming the mother for poor supervision. 



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