Dog killed in fall down lift shaft

A PET dog plunged 50ft to its death down the shaft of a broken lift.

The animal was killed instantly in the accident at a block of flats in Edinburgh on Thursday night.

The five-year-old akita cross Staffordshire bull terrier, called Sasha was about to be taken for a walk by her owner’s neighbour when the accident happened at a council block in the Muirhouse area of the city.

Residents said the problem with the lift had been reported earlier in the evening but no action had been taken. And they warned that a child could have got through the malfunctioning doors.

Catherine Mulligan, 25, who was looking after Sasha, said: ‘As soon as I took out her lead she was happy because she was going out. It just happened fast. She pushed me out of the way and ran out.’

Sasha’s owner Lee Miller, 57, said the malfunctioning doors had been reported to the concierge in Pennywell Medway, but that not enough action had been taken.

He said: ‘She was an absolutely brilliant dog. The loss to me is like the loss of a child to a parent, she meant that much to me.’

A spokesman for City of Edinburgh Council said: ‘The lift has been switched off and alternative measures have been put in place for residents who need assistance.’