A Kerala man stuck in a lift for two days was rescued on Monday at Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram. The man was found after the lift was operated for routine work on Monday morning.
According to a PTI report, Ulloor resident, Ravindran Nair, 59, had been stuck in the lift of the Out Patient Block of the hospital since Saturday. He had visited the hospital the orthopedic department for back pain on Saturday morning. After consulting the doctor and undergoing some tests, he returned to the premises with some documents when the incident occurred, Onmanorama reported.
The block has four lifts, one of which was not functioning properly at the time. Ravindran accidentally took this lift, Mathrubhumi said in a report.
The man claimed he got into the lift from the ground floor to go to the first floor but when the lift reached the floor the door did not open. As per Onmanorama, the lift malfunctioned and shook violently before stopping. He tried the alarm and emergency phone but nobody responded.
He said he shouted too for help, but no one came. The police added that Ravindran’s phone was switched off, so he couldn’t contact anyone, according to the PTI report.
The incident came to light on Monday morning, after the lift operator started it for routine work, the report added.
The hospital authorities have sought an explanation regarding the incident from the engineering department in the hospital, reported Onmanorama.
On Sunday night, Ravindran’s family filed a missing persons report with the medical college police. After he was found, his family complained that there weren’t any visible signs stating that the lift was out of order.
Health Minister Veena George, after learning about the incident, instructed the hospital authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure accountability, Mathrubhumi reported.