Greater Noida: 16 trapped in hospital lift for over 30 minutes

GREATER NOIDA: A group of 16 people, including women and senior citizens, escaped a probable mishap after they got trapped for over 30 minutes in a malfunctioning lift in a private Hospital in Sector 1, Bisrakh, Greater Noida West late Monday night.

They were finally rescued after considerable effort by hospital staff and security, hospital officials said.

The incident occurred due to a reported technical failure, police said.

The lift at Yatharth Hospital abruptly stopped on the 4th floor while going upward. Despite repeated attempts to contact hospital management and security personnel, locals alleged no immediate help was received, said the rescued people.

“It was suffocating inside. There were elderly people and patients with us. Some were panicking, others couldn’t even stand properly. We kept calling the staff but got no help for almost 30 minutes,” said Deepak Shrivastava, a resident who got trapped in the lift.

“There was no emergency response. In a hospital of this scale, this kind of negligence is unacceptable. What if someone had a medical emergency inside?” said Bansal, another resident.

DCP (central Noida) Shakti Mohan Awasthi said, “The incident occurred on May 26 at night. Due to a technical issue, the lift stopped. However, all trapped individuals were rescued safely.”

“After 20 minutes, the lift was restored to normal and our team was present on standby outside the lift door throughout this time. Our engineering and emergency response teams acted immediately, and all individuals were safely evacuated, with no injuries. The safety and well-being of our patients, visitors, and staff remain our utmost priority,” said Yatharth Hospital spokesperson, requesting anonymity.