Woman falls to her death after forcing open elevator doors and stumbling into the lift shaft… unaware the correct way out had opened behind her
- The woman was unaware that another set of doors had opened behind her
- Her body was found three days later when a foul stench emerged from the area
A woman has plummeted to her death at an Indonesian airport after forcing open the doors to a lift and falling down the elevator shaft.
Aisiah Sinta Dewi, 38, rode the lift onto the second floor while she was on her way to meet her niece at the check-in area of the Kualanamu Airport in Medan on April 24.
CCTV footage shows the woman calmly walking into the airport elevator before fiddling with her phone. She appeared to be confused when the lift stopped with the doors facing her still closed.
Unaware that another set of doors behind her had opened, she began frantically pushing the emergency buttons while trying to prise open the shut doors.
The woman then reportedly called her niece to tell her she was trapped as she continued to push against the closed doors. They soon opened and the woman stepped out and plunged down a gap into the lift shaft.
CCTV footage shows the woman calmly walking into the airport elevator before fiddling with her phone
Aisiah Sinta Dewi, 38, rode the lift onto the second floor while she was on her way to meet her niece at the check-in area of the Kualanamu Airport
The woman’s family asked airport staff to search for her after losing contact but they could not find her in the airport terminal.
She was only found three days later when a foul stench emerged from the area near the elevator and staff were called to investigate.
Her body was discovered trapped at the bottom of the shaft and was recovered after a five-hour operation. Her remains were sent to the Medan Bhayangkara Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Dedi Al Subur, the airport’s head of corporate communications, reportedly blamed the accident on a lift malfunction, and noted that Dewi herself had tried to prise the doors open.
The victim’s brother, Raja Hasibuan, said there was ‘poor elevator security’ and did not believe his sister was at fault.
He said: ‘We asked for the video from the elevator because it was there that we lost contact with her.
‘This is an international-level airport. How are safety standards like this? And the response from the staff was very, very unsatisfactory.’
The woman reportedly called her niece to tell her she was trapped as she continued to push against the closed doors
Unaware that another set of doors behind her had opened, she began frantically pushing the emergency buttons while trying to prise open the shut doors
The woman appeared to prise the doors open. She stepped out and plunged down a gap into the lift shaft. Her body was only found three days later
Deli Serdang police said they are awaiting the results of the forensic examination and have started interviewing witnesses.
The North Sumatra Ombudsman office has reportedly criticised airport authorities for alleged neglect and the airport’s allegedly slow response to her family’s plea for help.