Calgary Tower apologizes after eight trapped in elevator

CALGARY Calgary Tower management issued a statement of apology Monday afternoon following a malfunction that trapped eight people in an elevator car for hours on Friday.

“We would like to apologize for the elevator incident that occurred on Friday, July 12, 2019,” said the statement. “We are truly sorry for the experience of the guests involved and any distress it may have caused.”

In the statement, Adam Hicks with the Calgary Tower said the incident is being investigated by an elevator regulatory body to determine the cause and best course of action. “In Alberta, elevator systems are strictly regulated. Part of this regulation is to ensure that each elevator has an elaborate back-up system to ensure the safety of its passengers should there be an incident of any kind,” the statement said. “The back-up system in the Calgary Tower elevators worked as intended on July 12.”

The tower will remain closed until further notice after eight people had to be rescued from an elevator after two of six cables broke, trapping its occupants 12 storeys up.

The Calgary fire department’s technical rescue team was called in to help evacuate the stranded passengers, who were harnessed and lifted through a hatch for transfer to a second waiting elevator parallel to the one that had been secured by emergency crews.

Restaurant patrons at the top of the tower had to walk down the stairs. No injuries were reported.