Two elders among five remained stuck inside lift for 20 minutes

Ghaziabad: It was a nightmare for five residents of Shipra Krishna Vista, a high-rise in Indirapuram, who got stuck inside an elevator on Saturday night. With no automatic rescue device (ARD) they remained trapped inside for 20 minutes.

The victims included two senior citizens.

Around 10 pm, Sunil Kumar Goswami stepped into the elevator from 10th floor of B block building where he lives with his family. The four other residents were already present in the lift. 

All the five residents inside were going to the ground floor. But the lift suddenly stopped midway between 6th and 5th floor. 

Goswami recounted their ordeal, saying, "The elevator suddenly stopped with a jerk and the lights went off. We all were in a panic shouting for help. We pressed the alarm button many times, but no one came to rescue us.” 

He said their nightmare lasted for at least 20 minutes. During this time condition of both the senior citizens started deteriorating. Eventually, they took a deep sigh of relief when to their delight the lights turned on and the lift started moving.

Arun Kumar Rai, president of Apartments Owner's Association (AOA) of the society, explained to CitySpidey about the incident. He said power of the society was gone for 20 minutes. Due to some technical glitch in the power supply system the power back up could not respond, hence the lift incident.

However, Rai blamed it on the incompetence of the guards and apathy of the builder for the episode. He said such incidents have become a recurring factor in the society.

"Had ARD installed in the elevators, the residents would not have to stuck in the lift. Fault lies with the builder who failed to maintain the lifts. The incident is the result of his failure. Added to this are the untrained security guards unable to handle such situations," he alleged.

What is ARD and How it works?

ARD is a special device installed in an elevator. The ADR can be used during power failure or blackout in a building. It prevents passengers from getting trapped inside an elevator during power breakdown. Upon power failure, an elevator equipped with this device automatically moves and stops at a nearest floor using a rechargeable battery and the doors will then open to ensure on board passenger safety.