UAE | General

Lift crushes man to death

A watchman was crushed to death on Wednesday after he got trapped between the closing door of an elevator in the old residential building he was working in.

  • By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 15:35 February 14, 2008
  • Gulf News

Sharjah: A watchman was crushed to death on Wednesday after he got trapped between the closing door of an elevator in the old residential building he was working in.

The incident took place at about 1.30pm when the 29-year-old Indian watchman, Riaz, got into the elevator on the third floor of the building carrying garbage on a trolley. The elevator has a single door that slides open. A police source said that Riaz suffered serious head injuries.

Riaz arrived in the UAE a fortnight back from Calicut and was on a visit visa. He was taking the place of the building's Pakistani watchman who is on vacation. His brother Russle, who works as a driver in Fujairah, said that he was told about his brother's death on Wednesday at 4pm.

"Riaz is my elder brother and had previously worked in the UAE as a supermarket salesman before going home. He came here on a visit visa with the help of a friend. He was relived to have found the job as a watchman. I remember his wife's relief when she learnt that Riaz had succeeded in getting himself a job. But fate had other plans. I went to the mortuary to identify his body and all that I felt at that particular moment was just numbness. Hopefully all the paperwork that is required to get his body back home to his wife and daughter will be completed by Sunday next week," said Russle.

A tenant who saw the police take away Riaz's body said blood was splattered everywhere.

Further investigations are being carried out by Sharjah police.
Have your say
Have you come across any similar incidents? Do you live in old residential buildings and are your elevators safe? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the comments form below.



Your comments


Last week I was looking for new accommodation in Abu Dhabi as I have changed my job. The safety hygiene factor in the buildings is really worrying. I was shown buildings with lifts without an inside door and one side of the lift completely exposed to danger. The second monster in residential buildings is fire. Fire systems in most of the buildings are disabled and switched off. In my present accommodation in Sharjah the fire system has been off for the last four years. No action has been taken even after lodging complaints.
Brijesh
Abu Dhai,UAE
Posted: February 15, 2008, 11:30

Every time I hear weird and unusual noises in lifts of huge buildings and fivestar hotels, my heart skips a beat. This is not a rare event or confined to old residential buildings.
Kumar
Dubai,UAE
Posted: February 15, 2008, 10:24

I guess proper investigation needs to be done on the lift's safety features and its conditions.
Abraham
New York,USA
Posted: February 15, 2008, 08:07

May Riaz rest in peace. I hope they will change the whole elevator before it traps any other tenant.
Kaiser
Oakville,Canada
Posted: February 15, 2008, 06:09

That is indeed very sad news. But I'm amazed at the elevator's door not being opened automatically like it does in most other buildings.
Syeda
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: February 15, 2008, 02:04

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