Lift jam in Vesu tower gives couple late-night scare

Surat: A late-night lift malfunction in a Vesu apartment left a couple trapped on the 11th floor for nearly an hour on Sunday, triggering panic before fire personnel forced the doors open and rescued them.

The incident occurred around 10pm at Vacnaza Building when Savanmal Agarwal, 58, and Gita Devi Agarwal, 55, took the elevator to the 11th floor. Fire officials said the lift reached the floor but its doors did not open, leaving the couple confined inside.

With no mobile network in the elevator, they could not call for help and began shouting. Residents fortunately heard them and alerted the fire department.

A fire team arrived and launched a rescue operation. Officials said the couple was trapped for about an hour, while the extraction took around 15 minutes.

Residents told firefighters that attempts to open the door with the key failed. The rescue team then created a gap of a couple of feet in the elevator door and pulled the couple out.

The couple were in panic due to the prolonged confinement but calmed down once rescued. No injuries were reported, though the incident caused concern among residents.