Malkangiri: Panic gripped Malkangiri’s district headquarters hospital in Odisha on Thursday after an overloaded elevator collapsed and got stuck mid-way, trapping people inside.
According to sources, the lift was carrying almost double the people than the permissible limit when the plates broke due to overloading while moving from first floor to the second floor at around 6pm. While only 10–15 persons were allowed, 27 individuals were present in the lift at the time of the incident.
The emergency siren went off immediately, triggering a swift response from hospital staff, who manually opened the door and safely evacuated those trapped inside. Though no casualties were reported, the incident left the patients and their attendants shaken.
Eyewitnesses said that it could have turned into a major tragedy had the rescue not been carried out in time.
“A team of mechanics from Visakhapatnam will be coming to repair the elevator and restore operations on Friday. Only patients should take the lift and stick to the permissible limit to avoid such incidents,” said Additional District Medical Officer (ADMO) Dr. Brajakishore Das.
Hospital sources revealed that this is not the first such incident, as patients and attendants have been stranded in the lift on multiple occasions in the past, raising serious concerns over safety and maintenance at the district hospital.