Second lift incident at Sengkang East Way block traps elderly man for 40 minutes

SINGAPORE — Two days after the ceiling panel of a lift at Block 325A Sengkang East Way fell and hurt a girl, the other lift at the block broke down on Friday afternoon (June 9). The breakdown trapped a 70-year-old man inside the lift for 40 minutes, and left residents in the block with no lift access during this period.

The first lift with the faulty ceiling remains under repair till Monday (June 12).

Retiree Lee Keng Duan, who was trapped in the lift on Friday, said: “This lift has been always breaking down. I’m not so scared for myself, but I worry that my granddaughter could get trapped one day.”

He could not call anyone as his mobile phone had no reception, but one of his neighbours, Mr Sanjay Panday, happened to pass by at 4.40pm, and alerted the Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC).

“I heard the alarm, and saw that this old man was stuck in the lift, which had stopped between the first and second floor. This is very worrying, it is the school holidays, and imagine that there are kids who might be stuck in the lift if they happen to be inside,”said the 40-year-old workplace safety and health officer.

Mr Panday, who has lived at Block 325A since 2007, added that lift breakdowns in the block have been increasingly regular, echoing the views of several other residents interviewed by TODAY.

Homemaker Madam Lim B.C, 60, said that the open-door button for the lift that broke down on Friday does not work properly, and its door once closed abruptly, giving her a bruise on the arm.

“I had to block it from shutting on my two-year-old granddaughter one time. These days, it is scary whenever I take the lift. They must do more checks, and not only when something happens, then it’s too late.”

The AMTC did not reply to TODAY’s queries by press time.

In the first lift incident at the block on June 7, a part of the lift’s ceiling collapsed, hitting a 10-year-old girl who needed five stitches on her foot.

Based on the town council’s preliminary assessment, the incident could have resulted from the holder of the light diffuser in the lift being improperly secured.