New Taipei Mayor Orders Elevator Inspection After Falls

New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi will order a third-party review of two recent incidents in which city-operated elevators malfunctioned and fell soon after undergoing maintenance, the Tapei Times is among outlets to report. In the first incident, the cable of an elevator at the New Taipei City Funeral Parlor in Banciao District snapped, causing it to drop from the building’s second floor to the ground, lightly injuring the three workers inside. In the second, a pedestrian overpass elevator near New Taipei City Hall Square, malfunctioned and fell from the second floor to the ground. A 55-year-old woman in the elevator sustained a broken foot in the fall, while her eight-year-old nephew was treated for lacerations. According to the city government, both malfunctioning elevators had recently undergone scheduled maintenance and inspections, on October 7 and 17, respectively. The mayor has also ordered that safety inspections be conducted on all public, city-operated elevators within the next two months. The city will cover the medical expenses of those hurt in the accidents and help them seek financial compensation once legal responsibility for the failures has been determined, he added.