A family of three were trapped inside a stalled lift following a breakdown at UOB Plaza 1 on 9 October, and they remained trapped inside before being rescued, according to The Straits Times.

The family was on their way to a Si Chuan Dou Hua restaurant located on the 60th floor of the building when the lift got stuck on the 4th floor, before suddenly dropping to the 2nd floor.

The patriarch of the family, 74-year-old Mr Chia, rang the emergency alarm bell in the lift repeatedly while his wife tried to calm down their 14-year-old daughter, but got no response.

Chia then dialled the phone number that was on the lift and was informed that a mechanic was dispatched to the scene.

However, the family was then told about 20 minutes later that the mechanic didn’t know how to solve the problem.

Another mechanic then arrived at the scene but also failed to rectify the issue, leaving the family stuck in the lift for an hour at 7.30pm, before Chia eventually called the police for help.

Straits Times reported that at the time of the incident, the lights were still functioning inside the lift but the air conditioning had stopped working.

Singapore Civil Defence Force firefighters then arrived and managed to access the left through a hatch on top of the carriage and they then used a ladder to get the family over to an adjacent lift that was still working.

Chia said that it was dark on top of the lift, and it was scary when they were crossing over to the other lift.

The family was eventually freed at 10pm, after being trapped inside the lift for 3.5 hours.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that there was an ambulance at the scene, but nobody required hospitalisation.

The manager of the Si Chuan Dou Hua restaurant, also reportedly invited the family in for a meal after the incident, despite the restaurant being closed by then.

A UOB spokesperson responded to the incident and apologised, saying that they are investigating the incident and that the rest of the lifts in UOB Plaza 1 have been inspected thoroughly.

Images source: Adapted fromStraits Times on Youtube (left) and SCDF on Facebook (right)