Faulty elevator to blame for Dubai tower shutdown
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A faulty elevator was behind the shutdown of the observation deck on the world’s tallest tower that effectively closed the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa to the public, witnesses and a Dubai rescue official said Tuesday.
Visitors who were on the viewing floor at the time of Saturday’s incident told The Associated Press they heard a loud noise, then saw what looked like smoke but turned out to be dust seeping out of the crack in one of the elevator doors.
“It almost sounded like a small explosion. It was a really loud bang,” said Michael Timms, 31, an American telecommunications engineer who lives in Dubai and was visiting the tower with his cousin Michele Moscato.
About 45 minutes later, rescue crews arrived and pried open the elevator door, Timms said. The faulty elevator was caught between floors, so rescuers hoisted a ladder into the shaft to help those trapped inside get out.
Abu Naseer, a spokesman for Dubai’s civil defense department, confirmed the incident. He said the call for help came in around 6:20 p.m. Saturday evening.
Emergency crews used another elevator to reach the observation deck and were able to rescue all 15 people stuck inside the faulty elevator unharmed, he said.
The 2,717-foot (828-meter) building’s owner, Emaar Properties, has revealed few details about the incident since closing the observation deck indefinitely.
In a brief statement Monday, the company said the viewing platform was temporarily shut for “maintenance and upgrade” because of “unexpected high traffic.” It also hinted at electrical problems, saying “technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors.”
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