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A family of three were trapped in a lift for more than three hours at UOB Plaza 1 on the evening of Oct. 9.

They were headed for the Si Chuan Dou Hua restaurant on the 60th floor, but ended up stuck when the lift stopped at the fourth floor after a jolt, reported The Straits Times.

The lift then descended suddenly to the second floor.

Mechanic did not know how to solve problem

The family consisted of a 74-year-old man, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chia, his wife, and their 14-year-old daughter.

Chia rang the alarm bell in the lift repeatedly, while his wife tried to calm their daughter.

But there was no response, ST noted.

The retired property developer then called the phone number listed in the lift and was told a mechanic was on the way.

But 20 minutes later, the family was told that the mechanic did not know how to solve the problem.

"We were just stuck there, helpless, while waiting for another mechanic to try his luck," said Chia, according to ST.

Another mechanic eventually arrived but could not find a fix either.

At 7:30pm, after having been stuck in the lift for an hour, Chia called the police.

The lights were still working in the lift but the air-conditioning was cut off, reported ST.

Family freed after 3.5 hours

Firefighters from the Singapore Civil Defence Force eventually managed to access the lift through a hatch on top of the lift carriage.

They used a ladder to help the family climb over into the adjacent working lift, SCDF said.

“It was dark on top of the lift, and crossing over to the other lift was scary," said Chia, according to ST.

The family was freed at 10pm after being stuck for three-and-a-half hours.

Chia said he wondered what it would have been like if the trapped family had young children.

He also said his family had trouble sleeping that night.

"With the way we were feeling, I don’t think we could have lasted another hour in there,” Chia added.

Although an ambulance was at the scene, no hospital conveyance was required, said the SCDF.

ST reported that although the restaurant was closed by the time, the manager invited the family in for a light meal.

A spokesman for the UOB apologised for the incident and said it is investigating the issue, and have thoroughly inspected the rest of the lifts in UOB Plaza 1.

Top image from Google Maps & SCDF Facebook