Escalator malfunction interrupts soccer fan confrontation

HELSINGBORG, Sweden, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Swedish transportation officials said an overloaded train station escalator stopped a fight between rival soccer fans by throwing them at a high speed.

The escalator abruptly sped up because it was overloaded by the weight, The Local.se reported.

It appeared fans of the rival Malmo and Helsingborg teams were nearing the point of physical confrontation at the Helsingborg train station after Wednesday's game, which Malmo won 3-0.

However, the fans were separated when an escalator malfunctioned throwing some fans into the air.

Some fans said they suspected the escalator had been sped up by a transport worker, but a spokeswoman for the Swedish Transport Administration said the escalator's brakes had failed due to a weight overload from all of the fans.

"The only thing that can be altered from the outside is to turn on the stairs to normal speed after somebody has pressed the emergency stop button," spokeswoman Linda Carlen said.