A special committee formed from Jeddah police, the local passport department, municipality and electricity and water department visited the site to inspect it for possible breaches of regulations. The committee entered the elevator to go to the upper levels but when the door closed it did not open again. All attempts to shout for help or open the elevator failed. A bystander walking near the construction site heard the cries and contacted the Civil Defense, which arrived and rescued the committee members. Police suspect that someone tampered with the elevator to delay the inspection.