Moment lift passengers are thrown to ceiling as malfunctioning elevator plummets

30 August 2023 , 07:54

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Moment lift passengers are thrown to ceiling as malfunctioning elevator plummets

Three passengers in a plummeting lift were lucky to escape with their lives when they were thrown around in a shocking malfunction.

The trio had been going down in the elevator in a block of flats in the city of Changsha, Hunan Province, China, when it came to an unexpected halt on the fourth floor - before suddenly dropping just seconds later. CCTV footage shared by the New York Post shows the passengers frantically pressing the buttons and looking around nervously in the moments before it fell.

One man is then thrown upwards by the force of the fall and hits the ceiling before falling on top of the two others, who had been thrown to the side walls in the impact.

Three passengers were rescued after they plummeted in a malfunctioning lift (Newsflare)

The end of the clip then shows them on the floor as they tended to their injuries. Li, one of the passengers, described only suffering minor bruises to his leg, while another received treatment for two fractured lumbar bones. The status of the third passenger is not currently known. Li said "Everything was spinning. We were all thrown in the air before crashing onto the floor."

The lift ground to a halt on the fourth floor before suddenly dropping (Newsflare)

Friends and family of the three people on board said they were lucky to survive the fall - and revealed that tenants had previously contacted the building owners about issues with the lift. Wu, the wife of the rider who sustained broken bones in the incident, added: "Had there been elderly or children inside the elevator at the time, I dread to think what could have happened,"

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One man suffered only minor bruises to his leg, while another received treatment for two fractured lumbar bones (Newsflare)

A spokesperson from the management company said they had quickly dispatched a team to the scene and worked with the local fire service to free the passengers, as well as providing six people to accompany them on their way to hospital. They also promised to pay medical expenses relating to the incident on their behalf. Otis Elevator Company, manufacturers of the lift, said that technicians had been sent to repair the machinery.

Earlier this year, a woman plunged to her death down a lift shaft after forcing open the doors. Aisiah Sinta Dewi, 38, took the lift to the second floor while she was on her way to meet her niece at the check-in area of Kualanamu Airport in Medan, Indonesia, on April 24. CCTV footage shows Aisiah calmly walking into the double-sided cabin before looking at her phone, and appeared to be confused when the lift stopped with the doors facing her still closed.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas