Loud noises from a malfunctioning escalator led to panic at Disneyland Paris on Saturday. This panic was a false alarm. In the evening, the faulty escalator made noises that led to “screaming” and panic shortly after 9:00 PM. Guests were seen running away from the noise at Disneyland Paris on social media. The panic led to unfounded rumors of explosions or gunshots as people fled the area and the police and army secured the area. The incident occurred in the Disney Village area of Disneyland Paris.
BREAKING: Situation unfolding at Disneyland Paris. No further information at this point. https://t.co/oCB1FsXsnN
— Stoll News (@StollNews) March 23, 2019
Soon after, officials identified the real issue as the escalator and a spokesperson for the RER station at Marne la Vallee said, “It seems that a malfunctioning escalator has caused the problems.”
“It began working erratically, and causing loud noises. It may be that some people have been hurt in this accident.”
Guests at Disneyland Paris were briefly confined in buildings following the panic. Others were led away through backstage accessways from the area. One guest shared to The Sun that they were in a coffee shop and then seeing people running and screaming. “We all started running in panic and I took refuge at the police station with dozens of other people.”
“There has been no explosions, no shootings, no injuries. It is a false alarm,” a Disneyland Paris spokesperson said. “Please don’t read any rumors or stories that over exaggerate – the lockdown and police attendance were standard procedure following any sort of incident.”
Following the incident, Disneyland Paris returned to normal operations. It was also confirmed that there were no injuries.
BREAKING: Technical problems with an elevator caused panic at Disneyland Paris. There is no threat. People are slowly being let back in. https://t.co/4isbhcoleh
— Stoll News (@StollNews) March 23, 2019
Disneyland Paris is one of the most visited locations in Europe. It gets up to 10 million visitors per year. As with every Disney Park, guest safety is always a top priority.
