Wife Shocked to Learn Missing Husband Was Stuck in Lift for Four Hours

An Edinburgh A resident has recounted their "uneasy" experience after getting stuck in an elevator at their apartment building for more than four hours.

Joseph Ante, aged 30, was heading back home to his pregnant His wife and he entered the elevator at Lochview Court in the Dumbiedykes district of the city around 6 p.m. on Friday, April 25, but it abruptly halted on the sixth floor.

Even after frequently pressing the panic button to call for help , it was only when an engineer prised open the doors at 10pm that he was freed.

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With his phone out of power, his wife was left exhausted and panicking as she waited for him to make contact, Edinburgh Live reports .

Joseph, who owns a Nigerian agri-tech business, said: "It was a terrible experience. I approached the lift and was on the sixth floor when I got trapped .

"My phone died right after I got inside. I had no device To be able to check the time, I entered around 6 pm and exited around 10 pm.

"The lift shuddered and then suddenly stopped . About four months ago a neighbour told me about them getting stuck in the lift and I recalled their experience right away realising I was now trapped.

"I thought it would take an hour so I tried to reserve my mind. I called the engineer through the button and they assured me someone was coming to get me within an hour but I had no device to tell the time. I just dozed off and had a nap and ate fruit from my bag."

Joseph said he became more concerned with each passing hour that he would be trapped overnigh Despite subsequent efforts to communicate with the engineering team proving futile, he commended his neighbors for maintaining his composure by frequently ensuring he was alright and driving away the engineers.

He added: “A neighbour monitored me and continually called the emergency line; without her, I doubt I would have been saved so promptly. Initially, I believed I’d remain stuck inside for the night.” panicking .

"The sole thing that calmed me was my neighbours keeping an eye on me. I could hear numerous distinct voices while imprisoned within.

"I hurried home to be with my pregnant wife As she prepared dinner, her concern grew when my call redirected to voicemail. By the time I arrived at our place four hours later, she expressed significant worry over my whereabouts.

It was extremely uncomfortable inside there. Totally unacceptable. problem It remains unsolved. I won’t ride the elevator again and will exclusively use the stairs.”

Edinburgh Live was told the lift Was later unused for almost two weeks but has now been resolved. Additionally, another elevator in the neighbouring block has been non-functional since July 2024.

Convenor for housing, homelessness, and equitable employment at The City of Edinburgh Council , Lezley Marion Cameron, said: "The impact, inconvenience, and anxiety regarding lift safety, reliability, and accessibility to and from their homes has upon our tenants and residents cannot be under stated.

“I share their frustrations and concerns about these unsatisfactory and unacceptable circumstances . The lifts are operational at Holyrood, and we now have one lift operational at Lochview.

“The other lift, along with one of the lifts at Holyrood, will begin their upgrade work today and as soon as these are replaced, we will begin work to upgrade the second two lifts in these blocks. I have requested council officers keep residents fully updated on progress.”