Woman injured after HDB lift fell from 4th floor in Jurong West
SINGAPORE: A woman injured her leg on Saturday (Jul 1) night after a lift she and her family members were in fell four storeys at Block 542 Jurong West Avenue 1.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance at around 9.40pm and deployed a Red Rhino, a fire bike and an ambulance to the scene.
No one was trapped in the lift when SCDF arrived, it said, adding that a woman in her 30s was later sent to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
Mr Zulkiflie Saad, who was in the lift when it happened, told Channel NewsAsia that there were five people travelling in the elevator.
A "SNAP SOUND"
The family, which included a 10-year-old girl, was visiting a relative's house in celebration of Hari Raya Puasa.
Mr Zulkiflee was about to step out of the elevator when it stopped on the fourth floor and he heard a "loud snap sound from above".
"My brother-in-law then pulled me back into the lift and the door closed," he told Channel NewsAsia in a phone interview.
"Within one to two seconds, the lift plummeted back to the ground floor. One-third of the lift crashed below ground level and we got stuck," added the 48-year-old.
Afraid that the ceiling or cables would collapse on them, Mr Zulkiffle and his brother-in-law tried to pry the lift door open.
"Thank God I managed to pull open the door from inside with my bare hands," he said. "My thumb was swollen, but it was important that we got out of there. We then helped each other climb out of the lift."
Mr Zulkiffle said his sister is still being treated in hospital with a torn ligament. Everyone else in the group escaped with minor injuries.
Mr Zulkiffle's daughter, Ms Raudhah Putri, recounted the incident in a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon.
LIFT OPERATION SUSPENDED "FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION": BCA
On Sunday night, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said that "in the interest of public safety, (it) has immediately issued a notice to suspend the lift for further investigation".
In an emailed statement, a BCA spokesman said the Jurong-Clementi Town Council is required to appoint an independent professional engineer to investigate into the cause of the incident and submit a report with the recommended rectification works to BCA.
The spokesman added that the lift is only allowed to resume its operation after the investigations are completed and the necessary rectification works by the Town Council's lift contractor are certified by the professional engineer, which must be done to the satisfaction of BCA.
Channel NewsAsia has reached out to the Jurong-Clementi Town Council for comment.
Source: CNA/am
Lift is so scary nowadays
And bca still puts that certificate/notice that lifts will be well maintainrd by the respective town councils or something