20 trapped in Tokyo Skytree elevator for 5 hours, tower to close on Feb 23 and 24
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An aerial shot of the Tokyo Skytree, which towers 634 metres above ground.
PHOTO: TOKYO SKYTREE
TOKYO – Twenty people were trapped inside an elevator at Tokyo Skytree tower on the night of Feb 22 for more than five hours, the tower’s operator said.
It added that the facility, which is Japan’s tallest broadcasting tower and a popular tourist spot, will be closed throughout Feb 24 for safety checks.
The passengers, including children, were stranded when the elevator came to a sudden stop about 30m above street level, according to the police. They were all rescued and no one was injured.
An emergency call was made at around 8.20pm on Feb 22 reporting the incident at the 634m-tall tower in Tokyo’s Sumida ward.
According to Tobu Tower Skytree, two elevators stopped at around 8.15pm while running between the entrance on the fourth floor and the 350m height observation deck.
The elevator carrying 20 passengers was going down, while the other had no visitors inside.
For the rescue, an elevator adjacent to the one that was stranded was positioned at the same height. A stainless panel – 120cm long and 20cm wide – was placed in-between so that customers were able to leave the stalled elevator from an emergency door on the side.
The rescue operation took until 2am on Feb 23.
After the incident was reported, two other elevators at the tower were halted for about an hour for safety checks, leaving the about 1,200 people then at the observation area and elsewhere temporarily unable to descend.
Under normal circumstances, the trip from the observation deck to the fourth floor takes about 50 seconds, according to the company.
Tobu Tower Skytree apologised for the incident and vowed to take measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
“The cause of the elevator malfunction is currently under investigation,” the company said. “We are conducting a comprehensive inspection of all elevators and further reinforcing our maintenance and safety management systems.”
The company said that holders of advance tickets for Feb 23, a national holiday, will be reimbursed. KYODO NEWS
