Đặng Thanh Ngọc uses an elevator at her apartment building in Xuân Đỉnh Ward, Hà Nội’s Bắc Từ Liêm District. — Photo thanhnien.vn

HÀ NỘI — People living or working in apartment and office buildings in Hà Nội say they feel very anxious when using elevators due to recent power outages.

Đặng Thanh Ngọc, of Xuân Đỉnh Ward, Hà Nội’s Bắc Từ Liêm District, said on Wednesday morning, the power at the residential building where she lives suddenly went out while she was in the elevator.

“I really panicked when an incident suddenly occurred like that,” she said.

She asked for help but it took 45 minutes later before she could get out.

“I still feel insecure until now,” she added.

Ngọc said there was no notice of a power cut on Wednesday, disrupting people's lives in the building.

Kim Anh, who works at an office building in Dịch Vọng Hậu Ward, Hà Nội’s Cầu Giấy District, said she also got trapped in the building’s elevator because of a sudden power outage on Wednesday morning.

"Although I only got trapped in the elevator for a short period of time, that insecure feeling still haunts me,” she said.

“Every time I step into an elevator, I am very afraid, asking myself whether the same thing will happen to me again,” she said.

On Thursday afternoon, some residents living in a residential building in Mễ Trì Ward, Nam Từ Liêm District were reportedly stuck in an elevator when a power outage suddenly occurred, Thanh Niên (Young People) online newspaper reported.

Head of the People's Committee of the ward said the incident happened due to a sudden power outage without warning.

Immediately, the building's technical office handled the incident, bringing the people in the elevator out safely, he said.

An elevator repairman said in recent days, he received a lot of phone calls to help people stuck in elevators.

What to do

People need to know some exit rules in order to reduce dangers if getting stuck in an elevator.

According to the guidance of the Ministry of Public Security, if trapped in an elevator, people need to stay calm, take a deep breath and lower their body’s centre of gravity by sitting down.

When the elevator is closed, the space is narrow, the ventilation fan system can stop working, so if people scream, it will quickly reduce oxygen in the air, making them difficult to breathe.

When the elevator is in a stable state, the person should try to push the door open button or press the emergency call button.

If the elevator door is open, people should not exit if the position does not match the floor.

If the button is pressed but the elevator does not open, the trapped person should stay calm and press the emergency button (emergency buttons are shaped like a bell or a telephone receiver) to call for assistance.

While waiting for outside people to come for rescue, it is possible to use hard objects such as keys to squeeze into the elevator door slot to create a gap, then using larger objects to insert into the elevator door slot, fresh air will enter into the elevator to prevent suffocation.

If there is a phone signal in the elevator, the trapped person is advised to quickly call the hotline number listed on the elevator to notify the building’s technical office to promptly come to support. Or the trapped person can call the police force of Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue at 114 to come and use special vehicles to rescue.

The trapped person can contact the outside person by calling loudly, knocking on the elevator wall to signal. However, it is not recommended to hit or kick the wall or door of the elevator because such actions can cause the elevator to slip, the cable break, leading to a free fall of the elevator.

The trapped person should not try to open the door on the top of the elevator and escape through it because he or she is very easy to slip, leading to injuries, or fall down the elevator well. It is very dangerous to his or her life.

Severe power shortage

Trần Việt Hòa, head of the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Việt Nam under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Wednesday that there is a risk of power shortage at “most hours of the day” in the northern region in the coming days.

The accumulative capacity of the northern power system now reaches only 17,500MW-17,900MW while the whole northern region’s demand of 23,500MW-24,000MW.

In a related move, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính recently issued a dispatch, urging drastic measures to ensure electricity supply in the dry season this year and the future. The Việt Nam Electricity (EVN) was tasked to focus on building scenarios to respond to difficulties in power supply and rolling out effective power-saving measures, especially in June. — VNS