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