Some occupants of an apartment block in Banana Island, Lagos State, were rescued after being trapped inside an elevator for more than an hour.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency led the rescue operation that eventually freed the affected residents.
The situation came to public attention after a video of the incident circulated widely on social media, showing the occupants calling for help while stuck in the lift.
In the footage, the residents appeared visibly exhausted and sweating as they appealed for assistance.
A social media user who posted the video alleged that the incident occurred in an apartment complex located close to the Banana Island School Apartment.
The user further claimed that the trapped occupants had reached out to the landlady’s daughter for help but were told that the building’s management would handle the matter.
“We are trapped in the lift at the Banana Island School apartment and we have been here for almost 40 minutes,” one of the occupants said in the video.
“We are suffocating in here and nobody is doing anything about it. We even called the landlady’s daughter and she said they would see what they could do.”
Giving an update on the development, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed that the victims were eventually rescued following a coordinated response by emergency agencies.
He stated that officials of LASEMA worked in collaboration with the Federal Fire Service, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the National Emergency Management Agency to secure the release of the trapped residents.
Oke-Osanyintolu noted that the victims were attended to and calmed after they were brought out of the elevator.
He also advised residents to promptly report malfunctioning or unsafe elevators to the appropriate authorities to prevent similar incidents.
According to him, residents should inform the safety commission or fire service authorities through formal communication so that necessary measures can be taken.
