Cleaning Worker Trapped in Elevator Asked Coworker for Help
Hotel Staff Said "Please Wait"... Emergency Call Delayed
An incident occurred at a hotel in Incheon where a cleaning worker was trapped due to an elevator malfunction. However, allegations have been raised that the hotel delayed the rescue by preventing a 119 emergency call.
On June 16, Yonhap News, citing Incheon Fire Headquarters and other sources, reported that at around 5:35 p.m. on May 26, a cleaning worker in her 50s, identified as A, was trapped in a staff elevator at a hotel in Incheon. According to the report, A, who was leaving work, took the elevator on the 17th floor. After a loud 'thud,' the elevator suddenly stopped between the first and second floors, causing her to fall to the floor. After confirming that the elevator intercom was not working, A used her mobile phone to call her husband and a coworker, identified as B, to ask for help.
B then informed the hotel of the accident and requested that they call 119. However, A claims that the hotel only contacted the elevator maintenance company and delayed reporting the incident to emergency services. B reportedly tried to call 119 directly, but was told by a hotel staff member, "There's no point in calling 119. We've already contacted the elevator maintenance company, so just wait 20 minutes," and was unable to make the call in time.
It was about 40 minutes after first being contacted by A, at around 6:13 p.m., that B finally called 119.
Five minutes later, the fire department received a request to cancel the dispatch and was returning when they spoke directly with A, who said she was still trapped. The firefighters then responded again. At around 7:16 p.m., together with a representative from the elevator maintenance company, they moved the elevator closer to the second floor and used a ladder to rescue A, who was trapped between the first and second floors.
It has been confirmed that B was not the person who canceled the emergency call. However, it remains unclear who made the cancellation.
As a result of the incident, A suffered injuries to her back and neck and is receiving treatment at a hospital. A told Yonhap News, "At the time, my phone battery was dead, so I couldn't call 119 myself," and added, "If the emergency call had been made in time, I would have been rescued much sooner." She continued, "The fear I experienced being trapped in the elevator for over an hour and 40 minutes is still vivid," and criticized the hotel, saying, "It was wrong for the hotel to treat the incident as a simple elevator malfunction when someone was actually inside."
Yonhap News requested clarification from the hotel regarding the incident, but the hotel reportedly did not provide a proper response.
According to the 'Procedures for Major Elevator Accidents and Malfunctions' announced by the Korea Elevator Safety Agency, if a patient is trapped in a malfunctioning elevator, the manager is required to request a rescue by calling 119.
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