A janitor in a Shanghai mall was cleaning an escalator on Saturday when the metal flooring gave way, leaving the man with a severe injury on his left leg. The damage was so bad that doctors had no choice but to amputate the leg. 

The escalator victim has been identified as 35-year-old Zhang. The horrific accident took place at the Cloud Nine Mall, where Zhang worked.

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A closed-circuit camera video (CCTV) showed the victim stepping on a piece of cloth to clean the running escalator. 

Rescuers were successful in releasing him from the escalator trap, but doctors at the hospital performed an amputation on his damaged left leg to avoid further complications that could endanger the victim's life.

Zhang is the third victim in a series of escalator accidents in China.

The state-run press said that the man should have switched off the escalator before starting his work.

Meanwhile, the mall's management claim the victim inadvertently let his mop get stuck in the moving escalator stairs, which caused the plates to give way.

On Monday, July 27, a Guangxi child was treated for numerous injuries after his left arm got trapped while riding an escalator. Two days later, on July 29, a thirty-year-old mother in Jingzhou fell into a moving escalator which resulted in her death. Fortunately, she was able to save her child by pushing him out of harm's way.

Chinese authorities reported that around 37 people died in 49 accidents that involved escalators and elevators last year. The same report said most of the accidents were due to negligence by the victims. However, about eight incidents were due to mechanical issues.

Global Times reported that escalator makers are primarily responsible for keeping the country's more than 2 million escalators safe and operational for the riding public.

The government agency that oversees the safety of escalators found out that more than 20,000 are in need of repairs.  Chinese escalators and elevators association spokesperson Zhang Lexian said many of these unfortunate incidents could have been avoided if escalator operators would make sure that the equipment is properly installed and maintained.

He added that the some unscrupulous installers used low-quality materials. He also admits that some accidents could have been avoided if people are well aware of the dangers of a moving escalator.

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