Mall leaves 15 people to suffocate in lift

NIGHTMARE AT MALL IN BANGALORE
15 left to suffocate in jammed lift
Deccan Herald

Around 15 customers at the Garuda Mall had a harrowing time on Sunday night when the capsule lift they were in plummeted two floors before getting stuck a few feet above the ground floor. Fire department personnel broke two layers of glass to rescue them, including an 80--year-old woman. The customers were left fuming at the callous treatment they say they received from an indifferent staff.

Commander M Pratap Singh, who was among the fifteen people who were jammed in the lift, described to Deccan Herald the sequence of events. They had climbed into the lift at the second floor around 8.30 pm to go back to the fifth floor, where they had parked their car. The liftman pressed the button, but instead of going up, the lift just dropped before it stopped with a jerk, to the accompaniment of some smoke. The alarm did not work, and there was no intercom system. Mrs Singh also alleges that a few security men, who saw their plight, walked away laughing.

Finally, they made a call to a friend who alerted the fire department and the police. The firemen from RV Service South also faced some resistance from the mall personnel, who were reluctant to let them break the glass to help the by then nearly-suffocated occupants of the lift. They went ahead anyway and, with the help of a ladder, got the relieved occupants out one by one. When the reaction of the mall general manager was sought, she said she was getting late and sped away in her car.