An overloaded elevator plunged 50 feet down a high-rise apartment building in Dagestan, Russia, injuring four men with broken legs, according to authorities.
CCTV footage captured the moment nine men piled into the small lift, exceeding its permitted limit of six people. The group stood packed together, unaware of what was about to happen, before a sudden jolt threw them to the ground as the lift mechanism broke and the elevator plummeted to the floor.
The men were left lying on top of one another, visibly shell-shocked by the fall.
Emergency response and injuries
Emergency services rushed to the scene after the crash. A statement from the regional health ministry said doctors at republican hospitals were treating four injured people as a result of the lift crash, and that the lives of those injured were not in danger.
Building's legal status questioned
The building, completed in 2021, has never received a commissioning certificate or been formally transferred to the municipality, officials said. It is one of 180 allegedly unauthorised high-rise buildings identified by authorities.
Dagestan's housing inspectorate said this raised questions about whether the lift was being operated legally and whether it was technically safe. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the incident.
