B'lore:Lift plunges 9 floors to the basement,15 techies hurt

Bangalore, Aug 22: What started off as a usual Tuesday morning for techies working in the IT capital Bangalore turned out to be the worst day off their life when 16 software professionals experienced a nightmare before their eyes. The incident happened at the SJR iPark, in Whitefield when the cable of the lift snapped, plunging the lift cabin down 9 floors to the basement.

The popular building housing many organisations is a seven-storey structure (with additional two basement levels below ground). Fifteen techies are reported to be seriously injured in the unfortunate incident at close to 1:45 pm on Tuesday.

The accident occurred in the Warp Tower of the campus that has as many as 10 tech companies. Among those injured are employees mostly from two organisations namely Fidelity Information Services Global and Unisys.

Sixteen employees were in the lift when the incident happened and is understood to have been returning after lunch in the seventh floor that is shared by the two companies.

An employee has been quoted as saying to media channels, "Trapped in the lower basement, the injured people were crying for help. We were later told that some have injured their spine and others have sustained major fractures."

The injured were immediately rushed to the Vaidehi Hospital, while one seriously injured has been shifted to Manipal hospital for advanced medical care.

The Mahadevapura police have registered a case and are probing what caused the lift to crash down. Initial police report states that the lift could have been overcrowded. The employees, however, claim otherwise and stated, "Often it would be out of order and closed for maintenance. I don't think it was overcapacity. We heard that the lift collapsed as soon as the doors closed on the seventh floor."

OneIndia News