While most escaped with minor injuries, one of the five people inside the elevator suffered a torn ligament and was sent to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital for treatment. (Photo: Raudhah Putri Facebook page)
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) suspended the lift operation at Block 542 Jurong West Avenue 1, after it fell four storeys on Saturday injuring the leg of a woman passenger, reported Channel News Asia.
Zulkiffle Saad, one of the five people inside the elevator when the incident happened, revealed that he heard a “loud snap sound from above” when the elevator stopped on the fourth floor.
Fortunately, his brother-in-law pulled him back into the lift, as he was about to step out of the elevator then, before the door closed.
“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 Zulkiffle, who was visiting a relative with his family for the Hari Raya Puasa.
Fearing that the cables or ceiling might collapse on them, the 48-year old and his brother-in-law managed to open the lift door using their bare hands.
While most escaped with minor injuries, Zulkiffle’s sister suffered a torn ligament and is still being treated at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
In the interest of public safety, BCA immediately suspended the lift and required the Jurong-Clementi Town Council to appoint an independent professional engineer to investigate the cause of the incident as well as submit a report with the recommended rectification works.
In a statement, a BCA spokesman revealed that the lift will only be allowed to resume its operation following the completion of the investigations and the necessary rectification works, which should be done to BCA’s satisfaction, are certified by the professional engineer.
This article was edited by Denise Djong.
