An elevator with 7 people inside fell on Thursday morning in the Ministry of Transport, located in the CFR Palace in Bucharest.
Raed Arafat specified that no one was seriously injured, and all individuals were rescued from the elevator.
He mentioned that the last floor indicated by the elevator before the fall would have been the 8th floor. "If this is confirmed - the situation being dynamic - it means that the elevator fell from the 8th floor to the 7th floor. It is possible," said the head of DSU on B1 TV.
Just yesterday, maintenance work was done on this elevator, where some cables were replaced.
Ministry employees say it is not the first time there have been issues with this elevator.
The elevator fell into the void because the safety brakes did not work. A similar incident occurred 3 days ago.
Police cordoned off the area and began investigating on-site. A criminal case for unintentional bodily harm and workplace accident has been opened, which means that an ITM team will also come to the ministry.
Victims' Condition
"There were 7 people in the elevator, and it is unknown from which level it fell into the void. Of the 7 victims (2 men and 5 women), 5 required medical care," announced ISU Bucharest-Ilfov.
- A 38-year-old man was taken to the Central Military Hospital with a fracture in his right leg.
- A 42-year-old woman was taken to the University Hospital with a fracture in her right leg.
- Another 46-year-old woman was transported to the Central Military Hospital with pain in her left leg.
- A 53-year-old woman has leg pain.
- A 33-year-old woman has pain in her right ankle.
How Old is the CFR Palace
The CFR Palace is nearly 90 years old. The building's construction began in 1937, based on the plans of architect Duiliu Marcu. The palace was partially put into use in 1948, but the exterior works were only fully completed in 1962.
At the time of its inauguration, it was one of the largest and most modern administrative buildings in Eastern Europe and the first civil edifice of such dimensions in Romania built on a welded metal frame and embedded in concrete.