Photo by @kendisgibson

It was a scary scene at the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station during rush hour this morning when five people were hurt in an escalator accident. The incident happened about 8:30 a.m. when a customer’s bag or clothing got hooked on a metal panel on the escalator’s base, Metro officials said.

The snag caused the panel to snap off, creating a brief moment of chaos on the crowded escalator taking passengers to their morning commutes. After the panel broke off, multiple riders lost their balance and took a spill. From photos sent to DCist, it appears the accident happened on an escalator taking people from the Green Line and Yellow Line platform down to the waiting area for the Orange and Blue lines.

Metro spokesman Dan Stessel says that none of the injuries are life-threatening, and the worst of it appears to be some cuts and scrapes. Still, three of the five people hurt in the spill were transported to an area hospital. The other two were treated on the scene, as maintenance workers were dispatched to fix the elevator and clean up the blood on the platform.