Video: Shashi Tharoor trapped in hotel lift, rescued by fire team
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was rescued by Fire and Rescue Services personnel on Friday evening after he and several others were trapped for several minutes
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was rescued by Fire and Rescue Services personnel on Friday evening after he and several others were trapped for several minutes inside a lift at a private hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Tharoor had arrived at the hotel to attend the installation ceremony of the Rotary Club of Trivandrum East when the lift malfunctioned. According to an officer from the Thiruvananthapuram fire station, the department received a call at 7:37 pm informing them that the Congress MP was trapped inside the hotel lift. A rescue team immediately rushed to the spot. Read Full Story Before the fire personnel arrived, people at the hotel partially opened the lift doors and attempted to rescue those inside.
Visuals showed people trying to force open the lift doors using iron rods, but they were unsuccessful. Senior Fire and Rescue officer Jithesh Babu said, "We got information that almost 9 people are inside the lift. We came here, and they had opened the lift doors partially so that people could be rescued. We used hydraulic spreader to separate the door and rescue them." The Fire and Rescue Services personnel used a hydraulic spreader to pry open the lift doors and rescued Tharoor and the others trapped inside at around 7:51 pm. When the doors were opened, it became evident that the elevator had stopped before completely reaching the intended floor.
Stepping out of the lift with a smile, Tharoor thanked the rescue personnel. "Thank you to all of you. Well done. You have done a good job," he told the officers. When the rescue personnel asked whether he was fine, Tharoor replied that everyone inside the lift was safe. Speaking to reporters later, Tharoor said the hotel had initially called the lift mechanics, but they could not resolve the problem. He added that even the hotel staff were unable to help, prompting them to call the Fire and Rescue Services. "I have a good opinion about the Fire and Rescue Services.
The officers here did a good job. They reached here within five minutes. Very good and thank you very much," Tharoor said. He also invited the rescue personnel to have tea before leaving if they had the time. However, the officers politely declined the invitation, shook hands with the Congress MP, and left. Later, Tharoor felicitated the Fire and Rescue Services personnel in recognition of their prompt response during the rescue operation. Ends
The BriefWire