Bareilly: A power outage at a mall in Bareilly left 13 people, including three children and four women, trapped inside a lift for nearly 35 minutes on Sunday night. The incident took place at City Center LA Mall near Chowki Churaha, where a lift operating between the first and second floors suddenly came to a halt following a power failure.
Since it was a Sunday, the mall was more crowded than usual. Conditions inside the lift became stifling due to heat and humidity, and a 17-year-old girl reportedly fainted while trapped inside.
Passengers trapped inside lift
After the lift stalled, those inside initially believed the issue would be resolved within a few minutes. However, despite repeatedly calling for help, they did not receive any assistance. As time passed, the confined space and hot, humid conditions began to take a toll on the occupants. Many experienced difficulties breathing and growing anxiety as they remained stuck inside the lift.
People repeatedly called out for help. Some even dialled the security contact number displayed inside the lift but received no response despite multiple attempts.
Girl falls unconscious amid panic
Amid the chaos, a 17-year-old girl from Biharipur fell ill and lost consciousness. When no help arrived for a while, some occupants began pushing against the lift door from inside in an attempt to force it open. People standing outside also joined efforts to help those trapped.
After considerable effort, the lift door was eventually opened, and all the occupants were evacuated safely.
Action against the mall authorities, management cites sensor malfunction
On receiving the information, the Kotwali police arrived at the scene and gathered details from the people present and requested a formal written complaint to proceed with further action. Speaking over the phone, the mall’s Operations Manager, Vidin Kumar, explained that typically, the lift resumes operation via the generator within a minute of a power outage.
He claimed that during this interval someone struck the door forcefully, causing a technical glitch in the sensor, preventing the list from restarting. Subsequently, the technical team opened the lift and evacuated everyone after about 35 minutes.
Circle Officer (CO) Ashutosh said the Chowki Chauraha police were dispatched to the scene after receiving information about the incident. However, the occupants had already exited the lift by the time police arrived.
According to police, mall management stated during the inquiry that while the generator was being started, someone inside the lift kicked the door, causing the sensor to malfunction and leading to the prolonged stoppage.