The accident happened after a clumsy man dropped a suitcase on them, then tripped as he tried to grab it.

CCTV images of the incident show how young mum Liu Chao, 27, was standing on the escalator with her daughter when they are struck from behind.

She said: 'I was holding onto my daughter when I felt something hit us and we fell forward into another person. 

'My daughter rolled past that person and then I saw her hand disappear into the side of the mechanism. When I tried to rescue her I got trapped as well.'

The man who had caused the accident meanwhile ran off, dashing outside of the store in the city of Zigong in south-western China¿s Sichuan province and climbing onto a bus which then drove off.

Back inside, mum Liu said: 'I was terrified and thought that my daughter would be crippled. When the firemen turned up they had to take the escalator apart very carefully in order to make sure they didn't cause any more damage.

Store spokesman said the rescue had taken about 45 minutes to free the child's left hand, and the woman's right hand.

They added that staff had also tried to stop the man running off but they had also been concerned about the woman and child, and he had used the confusion to escape.

Rescue worker Li Yang said that both mother and child were treated for shock but had not suffered any other serious injuries to their hands as a result of the incident.

The pair were taken to hospital for a check-up but both were released the same day. 

(dailymail.co.uk)