Elevator Death: Should DBKL Be Held Responsible?

Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said low-cost flat dwellers usually did not pay their rent, what more maintenance costs, which is handled by City Hall.

"My heart goes out to the family of the victim. But residents in the flats should also be responsible as it would not have happened if the fees are duly paid so that maintenance checks can be done.

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"Please do not point the finger at the government all the time when a mishap happens. Please see the cause of the problem first and try to find a solution for it," he said after launching Ops Raya at the Sungai Besi toll plaza here yesterday.

When asked about the ministry's part in the incident, he said the ministry's role ended after building and providing the residence. "We only do that. After that, City Hall is responsible to get tenants and handle maintenance.

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His mother, Nor Hazilah Mat Zain, 39, and her mechanic husband, Lani Abdul Manan, 43, said they would proceed with legal action against City Hall and the building's maintenance contractor.

"As a Muslim, I have to accept it with an open heart and take it as a test from God. But when I was told by other residents that the elevator had caused problems to them before, with the latest on the first day of the fasting month, I was shocked and disappointed.

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"This means that the lift was not in good condition but the contractor still allowed it to remain operational. This proves that he has failed to maintain the lift."

Nor Hazilah claimed no action had been taken by City Hall or the contractor despite complaints by residents of the flats.

A Year Five pupil was killed after his head got pinned between an elevator and the elevator shaft while trying to escape from the elevator which had became stuck between the second and third
floor of a flat at the Desa Tun Razak Public Housing Project, near here today.

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The horrifying incident, which occurred at the Desa Tun Razak apartments at about 1pm yesterday, was witnessed by 17 others in the lift.

In the 12.50pm incident, the victim, Khairul Amir Azri Lani, 11, died at the scene due to head and shoulder injuries and his body was sent to the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital for a post-mortem.

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“Pada awalnya ada seorang kanak-kanak lain yang mahu melompat keluar, tetapi saya sempat menariknya sebelum mangsa nekad keluar.

Khairul Amir Azri Lani was on his way home to the 15th floor of the apartment after school when the tragedy occurred. He had joined 17 other lift passengers, most of them students, to go to their respective floors.

During the ascent, the elevator suddenly came to a stop between the second and third floor. After being stuck in the elevator for 45 minutes, Khairul Amir decided to climb out of the lift.

"At that time, Amir hesitated to jump out but when he tried to jump suddenly the elevator moved down causing its ceiling to pin his head against the lift shaft.

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He had only managed to stick his head out of the gap between the top of the elevator and the third floor when it suddenly started to make its ascent.

Khairul Amir, who could not free himself from the gap quickly, died after he was crushed by the moving lift.

Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Azizan Ismail said they received a distress call on the incident at 1.16pm before rushing to the site with seven firemen.

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He said during the incident, 18 people were in the elevator including Khairul Amir and most of them were students who had just returned from school.

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"The rest of the victims were brought to the lobby level. The elevator was not supposed to move down (when the tragedy happened) and we believe there was a technical problem," he said.

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"In the elevator, there were an elderly man, five high school students and the others were all small boys.. the incident shocked us and there were people screaming and crying in fear," he told reporters at the scene.

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Witness Mohd Noor Asyriq Mohd Zafridin, 17, said "The passengers screamed as they saw his body convulsing for several seconds. But there was no sound from him," he said.

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Another witness who was pass through the elevator area, Mohd Ibnu Wasilah Shamsuddin, 24, said he heard a loud noise before seeing someone trapped between the elevator and the lift shaft.

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His parents were seen weeping and being comforted by others.
Khairul Amir's mother fainted while escorting his body to a police vehicle. His body was sent to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital for a post-mortem.

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The boy's uncle, Kamarul Hisyam Mat Zain, 30, said the family was mulling taking legal action against City Hall and the building's maintenance contractor, claiming the flats' elevators was notorious for technical glitches, but not much had been done to fix them.

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Residents said the elevators were replaced recently after the old ones had malfunctioned.

Be sure to stand clear of the elevator door as it is closing. Always enter and exit the elevator at designated floor alignments. Attempting to exit when the elevator is improperly aligned is inadvisable because it exposes the open elevator shaft.

Before you board the elevator, make sure that none of its passengers appear dangerous. If you feel threatened by a passenger who is boarding the elevator, exit the elevator immediately. It's silly to take unnecessary risks when the stairs are always a viable alternative.

If you should come upon an exposed elevator shaft, notify the proper elevator safety officials immediately. Do not go near the open shaft or attempt to climb through it.

If the elevator should ever stop between floors, do not panic. There is plenty of air in the elevator.
 Never climb out of a stalled elevator.
 Use the ALARM or HELP button, the telephone or the intercom to call for
assistance.

The safest place to be when an elevator stops or if the doors won’t open and you are trapped – is inside! An elevator is designed with every possible safety feature in mind.

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