Man breaks into faulty Geylang Bahru lift to save 3 trapped residents

When a lift at a block in Geylang Bahru broke down, a helpful mechanic decided to step up, breaking into the lift and freeing three residents trapped within.

The incident happened at Block 95M Geylang Bahru on Monday (Jun 5) at around 5pm, reports Shin Min Daily News via Lianhe Zaobao. 

The lift had broken down as it was descending from the 12th storey, leaving the three passengers trapped for about half an hour. 

The 38-year-old mechanic said that on the day of the incident, he was on the way back home from a clinic, and waiting for the lift at the ground level. 

He recalled that the lift had taken 5 minutes to descend to the 11th storey from the 12th storey, after which it was stuck at the 11th storey for another 10 minutes. 

It then descended to the 8th storey and was again stuck there for about five minutes and then the 5th storey, where it was stuck for another five minutes. 

The mechanic said that there were two other residents waiting for the lift with him, and a girl who got impatient left first. 

Said the man:

“When the lift reached the ground level, there were two men and a woman inside, but when we tried pressing the ‘open’ button, the lift doors moved a little but wouldn’t open.”

He said that although the inner doors moved a little, leaving a small gap, they became jammed after that.

Assessing the situation, he reached his hand into the gap and managed to pry open the doors, by pushing the left inner door while one of the male passengers pushed the right inner door.

With the combined might of the two, the lift doors finally opened after five minutes and the three inside the lift were freed. 

The mechanic said that having lived in the block for over 10 years, it was the first time he had encountered a lift breakdown. 

Some residents pointed out the the affected lift was a new lift which started operating about three to four years ago. 

A spokesperson from Jalan Besar Town Council said that inspection from technicians revealed that the incident was caused by a misalignment between the left and right inner doors of the lift. 

The spokesperson also added that the town council would closely monitor the lift.