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Scream Triggers Crowd Surge on Vine City MARTA Escalator, Injuring Nine

MARTA’s safety division alongside manufacturer Schindler will probe why the escalator unexpectedly sped up then stopped following the concert

FILE - Beyonce, left, accepts the Innovator Award during the iHeartRadio Music Awards, April 1, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
Beyoncé walks backstage during the 2017 Budweiser Made in America Festival at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on September 3, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Overview

  • Nine concertgoers were injured, including one person with a broken ankle and several treated for cuts and scrapes at local hospitals.
  • The surge took place around 1:30 a.m. at Vine City MARTA Station as fans exited Beyoncé’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium show.
  • Officials say a scream, possibly prompted by an insect sighting, triggered a panic surge that caused the escalator to accelerate briefly before halting.
  • Emergency responders evacuated riders on stretchers and in wheelchairs to nearby medical facilities.
  • MARTA says no structural collapse has been confirmed and investigations continue into the escalator’s malfunction.