Watch: Commuter gets swallowed by escalator after hole opens up during rush hour

Terrifying footage has captured the moment an escalator collapsed and swallowed a man as he travelled during rush hour at an underground station.

CCTV shows commuters walking down the escalator, which was not in service, at the Ayazaga Metro station in Istanbul, Turkey, on February 27.

But only moments later, the escalator suddenly lurches into life and pushes riders down the stairs before a section collapses – opening up a huge hole that swallows a man.

The incident occurred in Istanbul
The incident occurred in Istanbul

The victim, named locally as Mehmet Ali Erik, was reportedly trapped for one hour under the metal stairs.

Witnesses appear initially shocked at the incident, before rushing to check on Mr Erik, who was reportedly injured in the fall.

It is believed that he recovered in hospital after eventually being rescued by firefighters.

According to reports, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality had reportedly put up a warning sign near the broken escalator before the accident, but it failed to stop people from using it.

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