WATCH | Passenger narrowly misses falling ceiling at US subway station

A CCTV camera captured the moment when a commuter narrowly escaped from getting injured as the ceiling panel, which weighed around 25 pounds (11.3 kig), collapsed at the platform of a Boston-area subway station.

The video shared online showed the passenger walking along with others when suddenly the ceiling panel came crashing down at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Harvard Station in Cambridge just before 4 pm last Wednesday, after which a cloud of dust rose from the fallen debris.

The passenger is seen pausing for a moment as the ceiling fell and then slowly again starting to walk towards a staircase.

In a press conference, MBTA interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville said that the aluminium panel which fell was about 10 feet (3 metres). “I am extremely thankful and relieved that there were no injuries as a result of this accident," he stated.

Around 10 other panels, among the 400 to 500 installed in the station, were removed by the MBTA.

Gonneville stated that the panel was old, dating back to 1978, and was wet which showed signs of corrosion. The panel does not have any effect on the station's structural integrity.

Inspection is being carried out by the agency in other stations where drop ceilings are installed, although Gonneville emphasised that the design at Harvard Station is unique.

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“We are utilising all our resources to look into this issue, discover its cause, and implementing whatever solutions necessary to ensure that it doesn't happen again,” Gonneville said.

A safety inspection was carried out by the engineers at the station in 2021 during which no visible defects were found with the panels, he stated.

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