Eight IMS Ghaziabad students hurt as hostel lift goes into free fall

According to the police, the incident took place around 9.20am when students were on their way to the mess for breakfast. Four students boarded the lift on the sixth floor of the six-floor hostel building and eight more boarded on the fifth floor.

Eight students of IMS Ghaziabad (University Courses Campus) near Dasna were injured and had to be hospitalised when a lift in the boys’ hostel came crashing down from the fifth floor on Wednesday morning. The police said that they have begun a probe and sought details from the college authorities, who alleged the lift crashed because it was overloaded.

The IMS Ghaziabad college in Dasna. (Sakib Ali/ HT)

According to the police, the incident took place around 9.20am when students were on their way to the mess for breakfast. Four students boarded the lift on the sixth floor of the six-floor hostel building and eight more boarded on the fifth floor.

“Since the lift was overloaded, it came crashing down to the ground level. As soon as our staff and security personnel heard a thud, they rushed to the spot and pulled the students out of the lift. We immediately arranged five vehicles and rushed them to a nearby private hospital. One student has sustained a fracture, while rest were admitted with other injuries,” said Ajay Kumar, director, IMS .

However, hospital authorities said that three students suffered fractures, while five had multiple injuries.

“Eight students came to the emergency ward of the hospital and are being treated. Three of them have sustained fractures, while the rest have other injuries. They are also in a state of shock and are being kept under observation in private rooms/wards. They will be discharged only on the advice of the attending doctors. All the students are stable,” said an official of Manipal Hospital (formerly Columbia Asia Hospital), requesting anonymity.

The eight students are 19-21 years old and are pursuing BBA and BCA courses, said officials. The college said that the injured students belong to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The college campus has six lifts and the one that malfunctioned on Wednesday was serviced last week, college officials added.

Meanwhile, police said that the college authorities did not inform them about the incident initially, while college officials said that they did not intend to hide it and the delay took place because their first priority was to take the students to the hospital.

The college is located adjacent to the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) on the outskirts of Ghaziabad and is under the jurisdiction of the Dasna police station.

“The lift in question was damaged recently. We had urged the students to use the lifts in a proper manner. We will check the lift documents and other maintenance details. These will be handed over to the police for investigation. We are open to a detailed probe,” Ajay Kumar said.

Later in the day, a team of police officers, the chief fire officer and officials from the district administration visited the college for an inquiry.

“A team of police officials along with district administration officials went to the college to probe the incident. The students are being treated at a hospital. We have sought details about the lift from the college authorities and an investigation is underway,” said Iraj Raja, superintendent of police (rural).

College officials said that they have given the list of the injured students to the police and have also informed their family members.