Mumbai: Malad woman gets stuck between elevator doors, dies

A 23-year-old woman died after getting stuck between the doors of a moving elevator at a residential building in Malad (East) on Sunday. An accidental death report has been filed at the Kurar police station.

A 23-year-old woman died after getting stuck between the doors of a moving elevator at a residential building in Malad (East) on Sunday. An accidental death report has been filed at the Kurar police station.

The police said the accident took place around 8pm in the 10-storey Al-Muzalfa building near Humaira Park. The woman, Alia Waralia, was in the building with her mother to place a mehendi order ahead of her wedding, which was to take place next week.

“Waralia entered the automatic elevator and stood between its doors so that her mother could come in. However, the doors shut immediately and Waralia’s leg got stuck between the doors,” said Jaychandra Kathe, senior inspector at the Kurar police station.

The elevator began moving to the top floors and Waralia got dragged along with it, until the lift got stuck. Residents managed to free Waralia and took her to a nearby hospital, the police said.

Waralia suffered multiple fractures on her head, legs and other parts of the body, said an officer based on the preliminary autopsy reports.

There were two more people in the elevator and the police are recording their statements to draw a sequence of events for further investigations. Waralia is survived by a sister and two brothers apart from her parents.

“We are investigating to ascertain if there was negligence on anyone’s part,” Kathe said.

The police suspect the elevator’s sensor-detection system could have malfunctioned. The society’s management will be asked about when the elevator underwent a maintenance check. The building belongs to the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), the police said.