Recently, in Kunming City, Yunnan Province, an elevator malfunctioned, plunging from the 17th floor to the underground 2nd floor before shooting up to the top 33rd floor, resulting in the death of a 59-year-old homeowner named Wei on the spot.
According to Upstream News, the incident occurred in the central B area of Kunming Plaza in Panlong District, with the nearby well-known commercial area being Tongde Plaza in Kunming.
Wei’s daughter stated that around 8:30 pm on February 18th, her father was playing downstairs with her younger brother. Her brother wanted to jump rope, so their father went upstairs to get it. After retrieving the jump rope, as he entered the elevator, it suddenly plummeted from the 17th floor to the underground 2nd floor, then shot up to the top 33rd floor. Her father suffered a severe head injury and passed away on the spot.
Wei said, “When I came back from Guangdong the next day, I saw a wound on my father’s head.”
An online circulating document, titled “Emergency Management Bureau Duty Information of Kunming City,” indicated that preliminary investigations suggest that Wei, a 59-year-old man from Maoming City, Guangdong, died due to the elevator malfunctioning and going to the top floor.
Wei confirmed the authenticity of the above document to Upstream News. She also mentioned that the building has three elevators, with the involved elevator being the innermost freight elevator, which is currently suspended from use.
A scan by the media reporter of the adjacent Elevator No. 2 displayed a QR code of the “Yunnan Provincial Market Supervision Elevator Social Governance Platform,” showing that the elevator was put into operation on January 11, 2014. The maintenance unit was Kunming Shenling Elevator Service Co., Ltd., with the most recent maintenance date listed as “N/A,” and the last inspection date being October 15, 2023. The manufacturing unit was Otis Elevator Company (China) Limited.
The property service center of the residential area confirmed on the afternoon of the 21st that an unfortunate accident did occur, stating that the deceased was a homeowner in the community. The specific cause is pending investigation by the specialized investigation team of the government department.
Staff from the Special Equipment Safety Supervision Department of the Market Supervision Administration of Kunming city mentioned that the incident is currently under investigation. On the night of the incident, emergency maintenance was conducted on all elevators within the community.
Similar elevator accidents have occurred multiple times in mainland China.
In November 2024, in Xingyi City, Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, an elevator in a residential area went from the 11th floor to the 28th floor, resulting in a seven-year-old boy sustaining multiple fractures.
In May 2021, in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, an elevator in a residential area surged from the 1st floor to the top 30th floor, causing one fatality.
In December 2020, in a residential area in Hefei City, Anhui Province, a woman riding an elevator suddenly ascended from the 1st floor to the 31st floor, colliding with the ceiling of the top floor, causing the elevator cabin roof to collapse onto her. Following the incident, members of a specialized earthquake rescue team used life detection equipment to locate the trapped woman and had to break down a wall to rescue her.
In July 2020, in Luohu, Shenzhen, Guangdong, an elevator in a residential area suddenly plummeted, reaching the top in just two to three seconds. Homeowner Mr. Luo hit the top light fixture of the elevator cabin, then fell to the ground and got injured.
On April 8, 2017, in Heyuan City, Guangdong, an elevator in a residential area abruptly shot up from the 6th floor to the 18th floor, resulting in a woman suffering a concussion and multiple fractures.