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Terminal 21 escalator fall kills man near Asok

Georgealbert
· 1,185 views

A man believed to be in his 30s has died after falling from a moving escalator inside Terminal 21 near Bangkok's Asok intersection on Monday night.

Emergency services were called to the shopping centre at about 9.50pm on 31 August, following reports that a man had fallen from the fourth floor.

The man was found unconscious and not breathing, with severe injuries. Police reports described the victim as aged about 30 and said his body suffered multiple fractures from the impact.

Witnesses describe sudden fall

Witnesses told Lumpini police that the man had been alone while travelling down the escalator from the fourth floor.

They said he was around halfway down when he suddenly grabbed the handrail and fell. The sound of the impact startled shoppers nearby. The man was pronounced dead after emergency responders and police attended the scene.

Lumpini police are examining the circumstances and cause of the fall. No further details about the man's identity or what may have led to the incident had been released at the time of reporting.

Terminal 21 is beside major transport links

Terminal 21 is close to BTS Asok station and MRT Sukhumvit station, one of Bangkok's busiest interchange areas and a regular destination for foreign residents, tourists and business visitors.

The case also underlines the importance of taking care around escalators in crowded Bangkok shopping centres, particularly when carrying luggage, shopping bags or travelling with children.

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2 September 2026

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    msbkk Gold Member

    msbkk

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    There were similar cases in Bangkok shopping centers some time ago. I always try not to stand too close to the handrail. In case you lose balance there is a real danger for tall people. The same applies for many balcony railings or even low windows. Depending on your height you can definitely fall down.

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    Nemises Gold Member

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    “Suddenly grabbed the handrail and fell ”… accidentally, presumably? 🤔 How exactly does someone go from travelling normally down an escalator to falling from the fourth floor?

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    spidermike007 Star Member

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    Those particular escalators are very long and very high, and there is potential for grave injury if one is behaving foolishly or attempting suicide. I don't see how anybody could simply fall off an escalator unless perhaps the man passed out.

    • Agree 8
    jacko45k Star Member

    jacko45k

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    1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

    Those particular escalators are very long and very high, and there is potential for grave injury if one is behaving foolishly or attempting suicide. I don't see how anybody could simply fall off an escalator unless perhaps the man passed out.

    ALways felt the same when using them in Pattaya Central. A kid with a penchant for climbing needs to be watched well.

    Upnotover Ruby Member

    Upnotover

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    26 minutes ago, Nemises said:

    “Suddenly grabbed the handrail and fell ”… accidentally, presumably? 🤔 How exactly does someone go from travelling normally down an escalator to falling from the fourth floor?

    Presumably travelling down from the "4th" floor, i.e. level 3, on this....

    image.png

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    mfd101 Platinum Member

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    Even tho those escalators are high & impressive, you'ld have to be trying pretty hard to fall OFF them.

    Falling DOWN the escalator is one thing. Falling OFF would take quite an effort. Looks like suicide.

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    khunjeff Gold Member

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    35 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

    Even tho those escalators are high & impressive, you'ld have to be trying pretty hard to fall OFF them.

    Falling DOWN the escalator is one thing. Falling OFF would take quite an effort. Looks like suicide.

    100%. I use the escalators there all the time, and it would be nearly impossible to fall over the side by accident.

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    SBNZ Apprentice Member

    SBNZ

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    Suicide by jumping from a high floor in a shopping mall is, sadly, quite common in Bangkok. Most of the time it's not reported because it really is not that uncommon.

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    MIke B Bad Gold Member

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    Whilst their mind must be totally pickled to do something like this.......I still find it staggeringly selfish.

    The chances of killing some innocent must quite high....certainly in a busy shopping mall.

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    Peterphuket Platinum Member

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    1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

    Even tho those escalators are high & impressive, you'ld have to be trying pretty hard to fall OFF them.

    Falling DOWN the escalator is one thing. Falling OFF would take quite an effort. Looks like suicide.

    He could have a heart attack, couldn’t he?

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    mfd101 Platinum Member

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    24 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

    He could have a heart attack, couldn’t he?

    He could do, yes. But he would most likely fall down (or up) not off.

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    msbkk Gold Member

    msbkk

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    4 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

    He could do, yes. But he would most likely fall down (or up) not off.

    We all can only speculate or play armchair detective. Maybe it was suicide or maybe he was under influence of alcohol or other drugs, maybe he fainted or lost his balance for whatever reason. I can only say that on many high escalators I try to stand more in the middle and not at the side because I am rather tall and sometimes feel uncomfortable so close to the side.

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    Woke to Sounds Gold Member

    Woke to Sounds

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    Simple.

    Just avoid.

    Take the lift.

    (Potential) problem solved. ✊

    KhunLA Star Member

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    Used the T21 esculators, maybe 100+ times, if counting each level, and never feared falling over and would actually find it near impossible to, no matter how tall you are.

    Accidental is a stretch 🙄

    Way too young ... R I P

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    L- Lifeline Silver Member

    L- Lifeline

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    3 hours ago, mfd101 said:

    Even tho those escalators are high & impressive, you'ld have to be trying pretty hard to fall OFF them.

    Falling DOWN the escalator is one thing. Falling OFF would take quite an effort. Looks like suicide.

    I must say having visited that mall on many occasions I find it very hard to see how someone can accidentally fall off the escalator and fall above the handrails

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    SABloke Gold Member

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    It is basically impossible to fall off (even intentionally jump off) the main long elevator due to the extra glass protection "walls", however the small escalators that run between floors don't have the same shielding (as is shown in this photo) so possible to fall or jump off:

    image.png

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    Alpha84 Silver Member

    Alpha84

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    4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

    Those particular escalators are very long and very high, and there is potential for grave injury if one is behaving foolishly or attempting suicide. I don't see how anybody could simply fall off an escalator unless perhaps the man passed out.

    It seems plausible he had a heart attack and then collapsed, but if he was holding the railing he probably would have fell forward down the escalator rather then over the side of it. It seems like it would take some momentum and intent for him to actually fall over the side of the railing. Sounds more like a possible suicide or an act triggered by abusive drug use.

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    Srikcir Ruby Member

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    5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

    I don't see how anybody could simply fall off an escalator unless perhaps the man

    Jumped or climbed over the handrail.

    If he just grabbed escalator rail and lost his balance he would fall onto the escalator treads.

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    msbkk Gold Member

    msbkk

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    5 hours ago, Upnotover said:

    Presumably travelling down from the "4th" floor, i.e. level 3, on this....

    image.png

    1 hour ago, SABloke said:

    It is basically impossible to fall off (even intentionally jump off) the main long elevator due to the extra glass protection "walls", however the small escalators that run between floors don't have the same shielding (as is shown in this photo) so possible to fall or jump off:

    image.png

    This is one of the other escalators

    20260902_105122.jpg

    Nemises Gold Member

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    4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

    Used the T21 esculators, maybe 100+ times, if counting each level, and never feared falling over and would actually find it near impossible to, no matter how tall you are.

    Accidental is a stretch 🙄

    Way too young ... R I P

    I lived right next door to Terminal 21 for two years during COVID and used those escalators daily.

    For exercise, I used to run up the escalators multiple times a day, all the way from the ground floor to the top floor. There were plenty of times I was completely exhausted and lost my balance or stumbled.

    As someone who is over 6 feet (183 cm) tall, my center of gravity is higher than most. Even when stumbling while exhausted, I never felt anywhere near close to tipping or falling over the handrail.

    The handrails are standard height and perfectly safe. If you lose your footing, you might bruise your shin on a step, but you are not going over the edge. The safety concerns are massive exaggerations.

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    Liverpool Lou Star Member

    Liverpool Lou

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    6 hours ago, Nemises said:

    “Suddenly grabbed the handrail and fell ”… accidentally, presumably? 🤔 How exactly does someone go from travelling normally down an escalator to falling from the fourth floor?

    Why do you presume it was accidental?Suddenly grabbing the handrail before 'falling' could just as recently suggest a deliberate action, i.e. grab the handrail and jump over.

    Liverpool Lou Star Member

    Liverpool Lou

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    (edited)
    5 hours ago, SBNZ said:

    Suicide by jumping from a high floor in a shopping mall is, sadly, quite common in Bangkok. Most of the time it's not reported because it really is not that uncommon.

    As you seem to have knowledge of the statistics, how many such common incidences have happened this year then? If they are not reported, how do you become aware of all of them?

    Edited by Liverpool Lou

    • Like 1
    Liverpool Lou Star Member

    Liverpool Lou

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    5 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

    He could have a heart attack, couldn’t he?

    If he'd have had a heart attack the chances are he would have fallen back onto the escalator, not thrown himself over the edge to the ground floor.

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    fredwiggy Star Member

    fredwiggy

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    (edited)

    Kind of a strange place to commit suicide but you never know. Witnesses said he fell and not jumped. They have cameras so should be easy to discern what happened. Too young for as heart attack and those glass barriers would make it hard to just fall over. Like many other stories here, we might not get a follow up anyway.

    Edited by fredwiggy

    Liverpool Lou Star Member

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    23 minutes ago, Nemises said:

    The handrails are standard height and perfectly safe. If you lose your footing, you might bruise your shin on a step, but you are not going over the edge. The safety concerns are massive exaggerations

    Absolutely right but it's par for the course for so many happy-to-bash-Thailand Asean Now commentators even though the escalator hand rails and safety barriers meet international standards.

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    Peterphuket Platinum Member

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    36 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

    Als hij een hartaanval had gehad, is de kans groot dat hij terug op de roltrap zou zijn gevallen en zich niet over de rand naar de begane grond zou hebben geworpen.

    OK, perhaps I didn’t read the article properly; I’d assumed he’d fallen off an escalator

    36 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

    If he'd have had a heart attack the chances are he would have fallen back onto the escalator, not thrown himself over the edge to the ground floor.

    OK, perhaps I didn’t read the article properly; I’d assumed he’d fallen off an escalator

    thailand49 Ruby Member

    thailand49

    Advanced Member
    10 hours ago, Nemises said:

    “Suddenly grabbed the handrail and fell ”… accidentally, presumably? 🤔 How exactly does someone go from travelling normally down an escalator to falling fr, om the fourth floor?

    Agreed, I been to T21 many times, just like the one in Pattaya, sure there are spots with larger openings but it is pretty hard to fall even if you unintentional lean a bit too far.

    Sadly we will never know?

    10 hours ago, Nemises said:

    “Suddenly grabbed the handrail and fell ”… accidentally, presumably? 🤔 How exactly does someone go from travelling normally down an escalator to falling from the fourth floor?

    SiSePuede419 Ruby Member

    SiSePuede419

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    Caution: Capitalism Emporium Moving Staircase may be hazardous for materialistic people with balance issues ❓ 🫪

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    geisha Platinum Member

    geisha

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    16 hours ago, Nemises said:

    “Suddenly grabbed the handrail and fell ”… accidentally, presumably? 🤔 How exactly does someone go from travelling normally down an escalator to falling from the fourth floor?

    Some of those Terminal 21 escalators are very steep ! A moment lost attention and you could be flying down from Tokyo. They’re not normally that high / long in other malls.

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    Alex2554 Senior Member

    Alex2554

    Member

    The standard height of an escalator handrail is 3 feet (910 mm) measured vertically from the step tread.

    Below my waist

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