World Trade Center Escalator Buckles, Injures 2

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, MANHATTAN — Two people were injured around 7 a.m. Thursday morning at the World Trade Center transportation hub when part of an escalator that leads into the center "malfunctioned" and several stair treads "buckled," a Port Authority spokesman told Patch.

The two men were able to walk to a waiting ambulance and were taken to New York Hospital, the spokesman said.

"An escalator that leads from just below the street-level entrance to the World Trade Center Transportation Hub Oculus from Greenwich Street malfunctioned and several of the stair treads buckled," a statement emailed to Patch said. "Two men were on the escalator at the time and suffered minor injuries. They were able to walk out of the hub to a waiting ambulance and were taken to NY Downtown Hospital for evaluation."

An FDNY spokesman said the injuries were minor.

The escalator was temporarily shut down. The cause of the malfunction is under investigation.

Image via Ciara McCarthy, Patch Staff