This is the heart-stopping moment a toddler was dragged upwards while playing on escalator handrails.

The little boy and his older brother were seen standing beside the shopping mall escalator in Samut Prakan province, Thailand, on December 11.

The siblings were waiting for their parents who went shopping in one of the stores inside the mall when the incident happened.

While the older brother waited patiently, the younger boy grabbed the handrail to play with until it carried him upwards.

The frantic brother tried to pull the boy from the machine but it was too late as he was already high up in the air.

Shocked onlookers hurried to save the boy until one of the mall staff on the second floor dashed to grab him who was still holding on to the handrail.

Onlooker Wichuta Srisamrit, a member of staff from the shopping centre, said the boy was fine although he was a bit traumatised from the incident.

She said: ''This is a warning to all parents that they should never let a kid use the escalator alone. If no one was at the top to help him, I can't imagine what could have happened.''

The little boy was unharmed and was taken home by his parents after being checked for injuries by medics at the mall.