Lift mishap: ‘We watched lift free fall from 14th floor even as screams rent the air’, say eyewitnesses

After it crashed to the ground, the lift got completely crushed, making it difficult to open the doors. Workers had to prise the injured out through the broken roof of the lift

The towering concrete buildings of Amrapali Dream Valley project in Greater Noida West reverberated with screams around 8.30am on Friday as one of the lifts at the construction site, carrying nine people, came crashing down from the 14th floor in a matter of seconds.

Workers who were near tower F-10, where the lift malfunctioned, killing four workers and injuring five others, said on hearing the lift screech on the 14th floor, all of them rushed to the tower apprehending the worst. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Workers who were near tower F-10, where the lift malfunctioned, killing four workers and injuring five others, said on hearing the lift screech on the 14th floor, all of them rushed to the tower apprehending the worst.

“We had just reported for our shifts and were getting started on our work. There were 13 workers who had to go up the tower, and while eight took the lift, along with the lift operator, the remaining five took the stairs,” said Afzal Ali, one of the construction workers who rescued the injured.

After it crashed to the ground, the lift got completely crushed, making it difficult to open the doors. Workers had to prise the injured out through the broken roof of the lift.

“We heard loud screams and rushed to see what happened. Many people were stuck inside the lift that came crashing down. Workers from other building started to gather and all of us helped to get the injured out of the lift. We could not make out who was alive or not, and put in all efforts to get them all out as quickly as possible,” Mohammed Shareef, a worker, said.

One of the workers informed the shift supervisor Abdul Rashid who then called the police.

“The police van reached the spot within 10 minutes and the ambulance another 10 minutes later. All the nine people were bleeding profusely,” said Rashid.

At the district hospital in Sector 30, where the injured were taken, some families were inconsolable over the deaths of their loved one; while the others patiently waited outside the ICU, their faces grave.

The relatives of 22-year-old Aris Khan said he and his brother Arbaz Ali (20) had left their home town of Amroha only a fortnight ago, to come to Greater Noida and earn a living on a bare minimum daily wage of ₹400-500. On Friday, while Aris was declared dead by doctors, Arbaz is on ventilator support at the district hospital.

“I have lost one of my two sons, and the other is fighting for his life. They left Amroha on August 30 as they wanted to earn a good wage for our poor family. I never knew that it would be the last time I saw Aris,” said Mohammad Asif Khan, father of the two.

Irshad Ali, father of Istaq Ali (23), who belongs to Balrampur in Bihar, reached the hospital around noon Friday.

“I got a call about the accident and the police told me that my son is critically injured. On reaching Noida, I was shocked to find my son’s body covered by a white sheet. I had spoken to him last evening; we were looking for a suitable bride for him and were about to get him married. All our dreams have been shattered,” said Ali.