70-Year-Old Employee Dies After Falling Into Lift Shaft in Pallavaram

A 70-year-old woman employee died on Monday morning after falling into an open lift shaft at a popular biryani outlet located on GST Road in Pallavaram. The deceased, identified by authorities as M. Mumtaz, was on duty inside the outlet, which is housed within a three-storey building, when the fatal incident occurred around 10 a.m.

According to police sources, Mumtaz had arrived for work at her usual time on Monday morning. She was standing on the first floor of the building, waiting to board the lift to travel up to the second floor. At the time of the incident, she was carrying a biryani bucket.

Police explained that the lift was in the process of descending from the second floor when its doors suddenly opened on the first floor. However, the lift cabin itself had reportedly not yet arrived at the floor level. Unaware of the empty space behind the open doors, Mumtaz stepped forward into the elevator shaft and fell, sustaining severe injuries upon impact.

A co-worker at the establishment heard her scream during the fall and promptly alerted the security personnel on duty. Following the alert, the Pallavaram police were immediately informed of the emergency. A police team quickly rushed to the spot on GST Road, where they found Mumtaz suffering from grievous injuries. She was declared dead at the scene.

Following the initial procedures at the site, her body was removed and sent to the Tambaram Government Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The Pallavaram police have registered a case regarding the fatal workplace accident and have officially launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the event.

Investigating officers are currently probing whether a technical malfunction led to the fatal drop. Among the factors being examined are a potential failure of the lift cable or a breakdown in the elevator's safety mechanism, which may have caused the doors to open on the first floor before the cabin arrived.