Incheon hotel cleaning worker trapped in elevator for 1 hour and 40 minutes

A cleaning worker in her 50s was trapped in an elevator for 1 hour and 40 minutes at a hotel in Incheon.

The affected worker claims that the hotel delayed reporting to emergency services, causing a delay in her rescue, igniting controversy.

According to a report by Yonhap News on the 16th, on the 26th of last month at around 5:35 PM, a cleaning worker, referred to as A (in her 50s), was trapped in the staff elevator at the hotel while trying to leave work, with the elevator abruptly stopping between the first and second floors.

As the elevator suddenly halted, A fell and injured her back and neck, and she is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.

40 minutes of ignored rescue requests… Controversy over remarks saying "calling 119 is useless"

At the time of the incident, the intercom in the elevator was broken. A requested help from her husband and fellow worker B through her mobile phone.

B immediately informed the hotel of the accident and requested to call 119; however, according to A, the hotel only contacted the elevator management company.

Even more shocking is that when B tried to call 119 himself, a hotel employee reportedly told him, “It’s useless to call 119. We’ve contacted the elevator management company, so just wait 20 minutes.”

Ultimately, B was able to contact 119 only around 6:13 PM, about 40 minutes after receiving the call from A.

However, about 5 minutes after the fire department received the report and dispatched, a cancellation request for the report came in. The fire crew, who were returning due to this request, confirmed through a direct call with A that she was still trapped and dispatched again.

It was confirmed that the person who requested the cancellation was not B, but their exact identity was not revealed.

Firefighters, along with a representative from the elevator management company, rescued A around 7:16 PM using a ladder.

A expressed, “The fear I experienced while being trapped in the elevator for over 1 hour and 40 minutes is still vivid. The hotel recognized it as a simple elevator malfunction despite knowing there was a person inside, which is wrong.”

According to the Korea Elevator Safety Agency's "Emergency Procedures for Elevator Accidents and Malfunctions," if a patient is trapped in a broken elevator, the manager must immediately request rescue by calling 119.

This incident raises concerns about whether the hotel properly complied with safety regulations.

The hotel reportedly did not provide clear answers to requests for clarification regarding the facts of the incident.

Image source: AI generated images for better understanding of the article / Bing Image Creator, archive photos for better understanding of the article / Getty Images Bank.