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Lift Malfunctioned & Couple Got Stuck in It for 2 Hours…in Yishun

Zhi Hao

2018-01-02 , 5:34 pm

Guess what, guys?

2018 is here!

And guess what?

Something’s happened in Yishun again!

This time, an elderly couple’s at the centre of it all, as they were stranded for more than two hours in a lift at an HDB block, and had to be retrieved through a small gap.

What happened?

The incident had happened on New Year’s Day (1 Jan 2018).

Mrs Amy Yong, 79, and her husband Mr Michael Yong, 81, were returning home from church at around 10:00 a.m. when the lift malfunctioned.

Incidentally, the couple reside on the second floor of Blk 637A Yishun Street 61. There’s only one lift servicing the four-storey block.

“They had stopped by the market just after church,” the couple’s son, Mr Stephen Yong, 58, told Channel NewsAsia. “They came back, hit the (button for the) second floor, the doors shut and jammed.

“The lift moved for a second then it stopped,” he said, adding that the lift was stuck between the first and second floors.

Mr Yong also said that responders from Nee Soon Town Council appeared within 12 minutes after his parents sounded the emergency button.

The couple, who did not have their mobile phones with them at the time, had utilised the responders’ phone to dial their son.

Could not work

The town council responders successfully opened the doors of the lift, but struggled to get it to work and so hit up Sigma, the lift maintenance company.

However, the lift maintenance company couldn’t get the lift to restart either, due to “a problem with spare parts”.

At this juncture, his parents, who have high blood pressure, had been confined for more than one hour and were starting to get giddy. According to their son, Mr Yong was “already panicking and very pale”.

While Sigma originally wanted to get the required spare parts from another building, the couple’s daughter ultimately decided to call the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) because they didn’t know how long the lift maintenance company will take.

Rescued

The SCDF arrived within 10 minutes, and set about rescuing the trapped couple (it was alerted to the incident at about 11.50 a.m.).

“Upon arrival, there were chairs already placed inside the lift. SCDF officers then entered the lift through a gap from the second floor and hoisted the couple out while they were sitting on the chairs,” SCDF said.

Mrs Yong was hauled out of the lift at around 12.40 p.m. Her husband was retrieved shortly after.

Elevated blood pressure

Paramedics gave the elderly couple a brief check-up on the spot, and discerned that they had elevated blood pressure. However, they declined further checks at the hospital.

“I want to raise the issue of poor lift conditions and the good work of the SCDF,” the couple’s daughter said. “I heard my neighbour saying recently that it (the lift) had malfunctioned.”

Her brother added: “There are a lot of elderly staying here. If the maintenance of the elevator is not working, it’s very bad for them.”

Meanwhile, a Sigma spokesperson has said that “the company is working to gather more information as quickly as possible”.

It’s a new year

So yeah, it’s 2018.

But it seems that Yishun is still… Yishun.

Which is kind of a pity, seeing how Yishun somewhat escaped the limelight for a while.

Let’s just hope that Yishun will have a better year ahead compared to… last year.

Since you’re here, why not watch a video about a guy who lodged a Police report here in Singapore because he was friendzoned? Seriously. Here, watch it and do remember to share it (and also subscribe to Goody Feed YouTube channel)!

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

Lift Malfunctioned & Couple Got Stuck in It for 2 Hours…in Yishun

What happened?

Could not work

Rescued

Elevated blood pressure

It’s a new year

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