Ten people, including an AIADMK legislator, a deputy director in the information department and an assistant commissioner of police, spent anxious moments stranded in a lift for more than 10 minutes at the 10-storeyed Namakkal Kavingar Maligai of the secretariat in Fort St George on Tuesday evening.
Uthiramerur AIADMK MLA P.
Ganesan, accompanied by party office bearers, was coming down from the eighth floor in the VIP lift after meeting some officials when it got stuck before reaching the second floor, a journalist, who was also caught in the lift told DC.
Deputy director (information) Ezhil and ACP (Triplicane) Senthilkumar, who got into the lift at the last minute at the eight floor, were among those in the lift that broke down, he said.
“There were grim moments of breathlessness and all of us started praying. The DD and ACP were seen making frantic calls to the control room and fire service, seeking assistance,” the journalist said, adding that the MLA prayed and offered to present “vadamala” to the Kancheepuram Theradi Anjaneya temple if they came out safely.
After 10 minutes, secretariat engineers and some workers broke open a portion of the lift’s door and helped the trapped men out with a help of a stool.
The incident triggered anxiety among senior officials as the engineers cut the power supply during the rescue operation.