SCDF disaster team rescues 3 people trapped in lift at Junction 10 mall using pulleys and ropes

SINGAPORE — Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers on Tuesday (April 26) rescued three people trapped in a lift at Junction 10 mall "through a rescue system of pulleys and ropes".

In a Facebook post on Tuesday night, SCDF said that it received a call for assistance at 1 Woodlands Road earlier in the day at about 5.10pm.

That is the address of the mall, which is located near Teck Whye and Bukit Panjang housing estates. 

Upon their arrival, SCDF officers found that a lift was stuck between the second and fourth floor. The lift does not serve the third floor.

There were three men trapped in the lift at the time, SCDF said, but it did not say how old the men were.

"As power could not be restored to the lift, rescuers from the elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Dart) were activated for the rescue operation," it added. 

After setting up a "rescue system of pulleys and ropes" on the fourth floor, rescuers abseiled down the lift shaft to gain access into the lift through an access hatch.  

Each trapped person was secured in a rescue harness before being brought out of the lift using a ladder. 

"A power ascender, a specialised portable battery-operated device, was then used to raise each of the trapped persons to safety." 

In response to TODAY's queries, SCDF said that the entire operation took about one-and-a-half hours. 

Photos posted by SCDF showed two men to be among those rescued. 

It added that its ambulance crew checked the three persons for injuries but they later refused to be taken to the hospital.