New Taipei mayor orders review after 2 city elevators fall in 1 week

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) will order a third-party review of two incidents last week in which city-operated elevators malfunctioned and fell soon after undergoing maintenance, he said Monday.

The first of the incidents occurred on Oct. 22, when the cable of an elevator at the New Taipei City Funeral Parlor in Banqiao snapped, causing it to drop from the building's second floor to the ground, lightly injuring the three workers inside.

On Sunday afternoon, a pedestrian overpass elevator near New Taipei City Hall Square, where a kids' Halloween event was taking place, also malfunctioned and fell from the second floor to the ground.

A 55-year-old woman in the elevator suffered a broken foot in the fall, while her 8-year-old nephew was treated for lacerations.

According to the city government, both malfunctioning elevators had recently undergone scheduled maintenance and inspections, on Oct. 7 and Oct. 17, respectively.

During an appearance at the New Taipei City Council on Monday, Hou said that following the incidents, he ordered that safety inspections be conducted on all public, city-operated elevators within the next two months.

Beyond that, the city government will also hire an organization to conduct a third-party inspection to find out why the elevators malfunctioned so soon after undergoing maintenance, Hou said.

Hou added that the city will cover the medical expenses of those hurt in the accidents, and will help them seek financial compensation once legal responsibility for the failures has been determined.