A crowded elevator in a Russian high-rise plunged several floors in a terrifying incident captured on video, leaving four men with fractured legs.
Officials said the accident happened inside an apartment building in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, after nine people entered the lift despite its maximum capacity being limited to six passengers.
Surveillance footage from inside the elevator shows the cabin abruptly lurching downward, sending passengers crashing into one another before several are thrown to the floor.
According to authorities, the elevator dropped about 50 feet, falling from the fourth floor to the ground level.
Emergency crews arrived quickly and provided aid to those hurt in the fall. Dagestan’s regional health ministry said four passengers suffered broken legs.
Despite the severity of the plunge, officials said all of the injured are expected to survive.
The apartment building, completed in 2021, had never been issued a commissioning certificate by housing authorities, prompting Dagestan’s housing oversight agency to raise questions about the elevator’s legality and overall safety.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has since opened a criminal case into alleged violations of safety requirements connected to the incident.
The apartment building where the elevator plunged is said to be one of the 180 allegedly unauthorized high-rises in the region.
