Jurong lift which trapped 6 people and a dead body was 'overloaded', says town council
According to West Coast Town Council, the overload led to the lift "overshooting" its landing at level one.
SINGAPORE: A malfunctioning lift in Jurong which trapped six people and a dead body was "overloaded", said the West Coast Town Council on Friday (Oct 7).
The town council said preliminary findings showed that due to this overload, the lift "had overshot its landing at level one".
"Due to the variance in the levelling of the lift and its landing, a safety mechanism was triggered and the lift doors remained closed," a spokeswoman said in response to queries from CNA regarding the incident, which occurred on Tuesday.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance at Block 760 Jurong West Street 74 at about 2.05pm on that day.
A fire engine and an ambulance were dispatched, and SCDF arrived at the location within seven minutes.
"Upon SCDF’s arrival, six persons who were carrying a deceased person, were found trapped inside a lift carriage on the first floor," it said.
SCDF said lift technicians were already at the scene and working to release the lift doors.
"Throughout the incident, SCDF remained in communication with the six persons and assessed that there was no immediate medical emergency," it said.
"SCDF also used hydraulic equipment to create a small gap between the lift doors to improve ventilation."
West Coast Town Council said the lift's lights and fans were functioning normally while the passengers were inside.
At about 2.45pm, the lift technicians managed to open the lift doors and assessed a person for breathing difficulties, said SCDF.
It added that the person refused to be conveyed to the hospital.
The town council said that lift technicians also conducted a detailed inspection of the lift and it resumed operation on the same day.
"We would like to apologise to the family for the unpleasant experience," it added.
Facebook user Keine Brutalitat posted about the incident on Wednesday and said that friends and family had to pry the lift doors open with an umbrella to create a gap for ventilation.
Two people were seen fanning at the gap to cool the air inside the lift the user added.
In the post, the user also pointed to residents claiming that lift breakdowns occur frequently at the location, and that the lift could only hold three people before it overloads.