Cable snaps, lift plunges seven floors, 12 injured

SUDDEN SHOCK: The accident occurred at SJR iPark in Whitefield on Tuesday. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Twelve software professionals suffered serious injuries on Tuesday afternoon when the cable of the lift at the SJR iPark, in Whitefield, snapped on the seventh floor, plunging the cabin right down to the basement of the seven-storey building.

The accident occurred in the Warp Tower of the campus, which houses around 10 tech companies.

The Mahadevapura police said the 16 occupants — employed at Fidelity Information Services Global and Unisys — were returning after lunch in the seventh floor canteen shared by the two companies.

An employee at FIS Global told

The Hindu 12 employees, including four of his colleagues, were injured. “Trapped in the lower basement, the injured people were crying for help. We were later told that some have injured their spine, and others have sustained major fractures,” the employee said.

The injured were rushed to the nearby Vaidehi Hospital initially. One of them, understood to be critical, has been shifted to the Manipal Hospital, police sources said.

Maintenance issues

While the police claimed that the lift was overloaded, employee accounts reveal that the lift had routine maintenance issues.

“Often it would be out of order and closed for maintenance. I don’t think it was overcapacity,” the employee said. “We heard that the lift collapsed as soon as the doors closed on the seventh floor,” he said. The Mahadevapura police have registered a case.