Hyderabad: In a dramatic incident at the PVR Next Galleria Mall in Malakpet, twelve individuals, including a pregnant woman, found themselves trapped inside an elevator for over an hour before being successfully rescued by the fire department and police personnel.
The incident unfolded on Tuesday evening when the group entered the elevator, only to have it come to an abrupt halt due to a technical malfunction. Despite the panicked attempts of the mall staff to free the trapped individuals, their efforts proved futile.
The situation took a turn for the worse as the occupants, increasingly distressed and concerned for their safety, decided to reach out to the local police and fire department for assistance. The emergency call prompted the swift arrival of the Malakpet fire station personnel to the scene.
According to eyewitnesses, the elevator became stuck as the visitors were descending from the sixth floor of the mall. Upon realizing their predicament, they immediately alerted the mall’s technical and security staff, who struggled in vain to extricate them from the elevator.
One of the trapped visitors, identified as Mohd Wasim from Bandlaguda, described the harrowing experience. “Suddenly, there was smoke, and we heard some noise as if something broke, which worried us,” he recounted. Despite reassurances from the mall staff that the situation would be resolved quickly, the ordeal persisted for over an hour, leaving the trapped individuals increasingly distressed. Only when they called the police and fire department did the rescue efforts gain momentum.
Fire officer Mohd Mustafa stated that their toolkit was instrumental in bringing the trapped individuals to safety. Led by S. Anji Reddy, the rescue team successfully freed the occupants within approximately 30 minutes of their arrival, putting an end to their suffocating ordeal.
As the rescued individuals emerged from the elevator, relieved and grateful, they voiced their disappointment with the mall staff’s response to the emergency situation. The visitors criticized the lack of prompt action and attributed their extended ordeal to the mall’s failure to effectively address the crisis.
With the incident now resolved, the authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the elevator malfunction and ensure that such incidents are prevented in the future. The shopping mall management has not yet issued a statement regarding the incident.
