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Haunted Lift in Block 406A, Fernvale Road, near Sengkang West
<small class="clear">Sunday, February 23, 2014 - 07:36</small>Benjamin Lim
The New Paper
[h=2]Please refrain from using lift[/h]
SINGAPORE - The two signs posted on the lift door on Sunday read: "Dear residents, please refrain from using lift A for a month, due to constant breakdown. Many residents have been trapped in this lift for the past few weeks and many times."
The notice was signed: "By residents of Block 406A".
It is believed that the notices were put up by a man who was trapped the previous day. They were taken down by Wednesday morning.
Residents at Block 406A, Fernvale Road, near Sengkang West, said there have been many breakdowns since the week before Chinese New Year. Five people have been trapped on separate occasions over the past few weeks, they claimed.
Retiree Sim Chng Hock, 64, witnessed one such occasion.
He was walking home when he heard someone shouting and pounding on the lift doors on the ground floor at about 8pm last Saturday.
When he went to the lift lobby, he saw, through the glass windows of the lift doors, a man trapped inside.
He said: "The man kept shouting, 'I'm stuck inside, help me.' I wasn't sure how long he had been trapped in the lift."
Mr Sim tried to prise the lift doors open with his hands, but he was not strong enough.
Two other residents who were also at the ground floor rushed to help the trapped man.
The resident, who was described as middle-aged, looked unsteady when he was finally rescued, said Mr Sim.
He added that the five people trapped in the lift included children and the elderly and that last Saturday's incident was the most recent.
Some residents had been able to free themselves, but others had had to call the maintenance office to rescue them. The office number is given inside the lift.
Student Ng Jia Le, 17, who lives on the 11th storey, was trapped in the lift last week, when he was going home at about 9pm.
"The lift had barely reached the second floor when it suddenly stopped. There was a blackout and the fan also stopped working.
"I wasn't scared because it was not the first time I had been stuck in the lift, but I won't take it again," said the secondary school student, who was first trapped in a lift a few years ago.
He managed to free himself after 10 to 15 minutes, when he opened the doors and climbed onto the lift landing on the second storey.
People told The New Paper on Wednesday that they avoided taking that particular lift. It meant a longer waiting time for the other one, especially during peak working hours in the morning and evening.
When this reporter took lift A on Tuesday and Wednesday, there was a weird rattling sound from the ceiling and some shaking as the lift rose.
CCTV
The closed-circuit television camera in the lift was also faulty, as the monitor on the ground floor showed only a black screen.
These problems were not observed in the other lift.
Mr K.S. Chia, a director who lives on the 11th storey, said he was frustrated after many calls to the maintenance office and town council.
"I went through all the channels available, but the problem still persisted and I don't know what to do now. I'm quite fed up about having to put up with the inconvenience," said the 40-year-old.
"I think the maintenance team should do a thorough job when they inspect the lift before clearing it for use and not close the case once the lift works immediately after repair."
The Ang Mo Kio Town Council said the lift breakdowns were due to an "intermittent fault".
It added that the defective components had already been replaced and the lift was ready for use.
It did not comment on why the problem had persisted for so long despite previous repairs.
<small class="clear">Sunday, February 23, 2014 - 07:36</small>Benjamin Lim
The New Paper
[h=2]Please refrain from using lift[/h]
The notice was signed: "By residents of Block 406A".
It is believed that the notices were put up by a man who was trapped the previous day. They were taken down by Wednesday morning.
Residents at Block 406A, Fernvale Road, near Sengkang West, said there have been many breakdowns since the week before Chinese New Year. Five people have been trapped on separate occasions over the past few weeks, they claimed.
Retiree Sim Chng Hock, 64, witnessed one such occasion.
He was walking home when he heard someone shouting and pounding on the lift doors on the ground floor at about 8pm last Saturday.
When he went to the lift lobby, he saw, through the glass windows of the lift doors, a man trapped inside.
He said: "The man kept shouting, 'I'm stuck inside, help me.' I wasn't sure how long he had been trapped in the lift."
Mr Sim tried to prise the lift doors open with his hands, but he was not strong enough.
Two other residents who were also at the ground floor rushed to help the trapped man.
The resident, who was described as middle-aged, looked unsteady when he was finally rescued, said Mr Sim.
He added that the five people trapped in the lift included children and the elderly and that last Saturday's incident was the most recent.
Some residents had been able to free themselves, but others had had to call the maintenance office to rescue them. The office number is given inside the lift.
Student Ng Jia Le, 17, who lives on the 11th storey, was trapped in the lift last week, when he was going home at about 9pm.
"The lift had barely reached the second floor when it suddenly stopped. There was a blackout and the fan also stopped working.
"I wasn't scared because it was not the first time I had been stuck in the lift, but I won't take it again," said the secondary school student, who was first trapped in a lift a few years ago.
He managed to free himself after 10 to 15 minutes, when he opened the doors and climbed onto the lift landing on the second storey.
People told The New Paper on Wednesday that they avoided taking that particular lift. It meant a longer waiting time for the other one, especially during peak working hours in the morning and evening.
When this reporter took lift A on Tuesday and Wednesday, there was a weird rattling sound from the ceiling and some shaking as the lift rose.
CCTV
The closed-circuit television camera in the lift was also faulty, as the monitor on the ground floor showed only a black screen.
These problems were not observed in the other lift.
Mr K.S. Chia, a director who lives on the 11th storey, said he was frustrated after many calls to the maintenance office and town council.
"I went through all the channels available, but the problem still persisted and I don't know what to do now. I'm quite fed up about having to put up with the inconvenience," said the 40-year-old.
"I think the maintenance team should do a thorough job when they inspect the lift before clearing it for use and not close the case once the lift works immediately after repair."
The Ang Mo Kio Town Council said the lift breakdowns were due to an "intermittent fault".
It added that the defective components had already been replaced and the lift was ready for use.
It did not comment on why the problem had persisted for so long despite previous repairs.
