Twenty shopping mall visitors including children were injured when an escalator slid backwards in the Philippines.

The crowd of locals were riding the moving staircase at the SM City Santa Rosa mall in Laguna province when it malfunctioned and sent them plummeting down the incline on March 5.

Footage shows how the mall-goers were piled on top of one another as they were dumped at the foot of the escalator.

Some customers scrambled to hold onto the handrails but were pushed down by the crush of people falling.

Security guards administered first aid to the injured, including frightened toddlers seen crying after the accident.

Mall-goer Francis Cañedo told local media: 'We heard screaming near the escalator so we rushed to see what was going on. There were children crying and parents carrying their kids. The escalator probably could not handle their weight since there were so many people.'

In a statement, SM City Santa Rosa mall management confirmed the incident, saying: 'An incident happened in one of our escalators in SM City Santa Rosa. Our emergency response team was immediately on site and has taken all concerned customers to the hospital to have them properly examined.

'The area has been properly secured and a thorough investigation into the matter is already ongoing.'

Inspector Serafin Inte Jr. of the Sta. Rosa Police said: 'The mall's escalator malfunctioned. There were 21 people and 20 were injured, but their wounds were minor. The malfunction involved the escalator's union gear.'

The mall said the escalator's faulty parts have been replaced and an investigation is underway.