1,114 Elevator Accidents in a Year

JEDDAH, 15 May 2004 — The Civil Defense department in Saudi Arabia is facing a new challenge according to Al-Watan Arabic newspaper — rescuing passengers stuck inside elevators. The number of incidents is on the rise all over the Kingdom, especially during Haj. According to the department, the total number of callouts last year was 1,114.

Civil Defense Director Saad Al-Tuwaijri told Al-Watan that Makkah had the highest recorded number of elevator accidents (551,) followed by Madinah (350,) the Eastern Province (68,) and Riyadh (59.)

Makkah Civil Defense Director Gen. Adel Zamzami said none of the elevator accidents ended with deaths or serious injuries. He said that all Civil Defense teams are trained to work in these situations.