9 Injured After Boston Escalator Malfunctions as Witness Recalls Seeing 'Blood Everywhere'

Alamy Back Bay Station in Boston, Massachusetts

A scene of terror unfolded at a Boston train station on Sunday after an escalator carrying passengers suddenly malfunctioned, causing nine people to suffer injuries.

The scary incident occurred just after 6 p.m. at the Back Bay Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Station in Boston, according to a tweet from the city's EMS.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the MBTA confirmed that the incident involved "the escalator from the Amtrak/Commuter Rail platforms to the street-level lobby of the station."

Sarah Aucoin and Claire Maia were both on the upwards escalator when they say it started to move backward, according to CBS affiliate WBZ-TV.

"I felt it start to free-fall, I tried to run up it as fast as I could," Aucoin recalled to the outlet. "When I felt it stop, we ran to the top. I looked behind me, I saw the pile of people and I saw blood everywhere."

Maia, who was near the top of the stairs, added: "I ran and hit the emergency stop button on the escalator and held it down until I was sure it was stopped."

Eli Smith was also in the station at the time and though he wasn't on the escalator, he told NBC affiliate WBTS that he suddenly heard "a whole bunch of commotion coming" from the area.

"Out of pure curiosity I go over and look," he recalled to WBTS. "And there was like four people laying down and like a puddle of blood at the end of the escalator."

"[There's] normally steps going up and then it turned into a slide and went backward, and that's when people fell," Smith added.

Another witness Krystal Tremblay, who spoke to WBZ-TV, told the outlet that everyone on the escalator "just started falling like dominos."

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Following the incident, the MBTA spokesperson confirmed that the Transit Police, Boston Fire and EMS all responded to the station. The MBTA Commuter Rail Twitter account initially reported that there was a "medical emergency" at the station causing delays to other trains.

Despite the bloody scene, Boston EMS confirmed in their tweet that nine people had been transported to a hospital with what appeared to be "minor" injuries.

At this time, their conditions remain unknown. It is also unclear what caused the escalator to malfunction.

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The MBTA spokesperson tells PEOPLE that the escalator will remain closed while they investigate the incident alongside KONE, who regularly inspects and maintains the escalators.

"Investigators are working to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident yesterday," the spokesperson says. "The MBTA and KONE will be guided by the findings of the investigation, and take whatever actions are warranted."

"With the public's safety of paramount importance, the MBTA is committed to determining the underlying cause and working to ensure such an incident doesn't happen again," the spokesperson adds. "Information about the Back Bay unit's inspection and maintenance history is being gathered as part of the ongoing investigation."