A woman who was found dead in an elevator in China last week had reportedly been in the lift for a month after workers shut off the power supply.
Workers arrived at the residential building in Xian on Jan. 30 to repair the malfunctioning elevator. They reportedly found it stuck between the 10th and 11th floors, shouted to ask if anyone was there, switched off the power, and then left and didn't
return until March 1, Agence France‑Presse reported.
The death was determined to be the result of “a grave error by the maintenance company,” AFP said.
The 43-year-old woman, identified only by her surname Wu, had a hand pressed against the
door when her body was found, The New York Times said, citing local reports. She lived alone on the 15th floor of the apartment building.
Police haven’t determined exactly how or when Wu died, however reports have speculated she either died of dehydration or starved to death.
One neighbor said she heard a muffled sound near the elevator on the night it was shut down, The Times said, citing the Huashang News.
“I heard a strange sound from near the elevator, a thud-thud noise,” the neighbor said, according to the report. “My daughter said the lift had broken down, and because it often did that, I didn’t pay attention.”
Two maintenance
crew members were arrested, CNN reported, and the building maintenance and management companies are under investigation.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the woman’s hands were mangled in her attempt to escape, and markings were found throughout the inside of the elevator.
Twitter users were horrified at the story.
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