Japan’s tallest structure, Tokyo Skytree, a popular tourist spot, was temporarily closed after 20 passengers were trapped in an elevator for more than five hours.
Tokyo police and others say two elevators to the observation deck stopped suddenly shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.
One of the elevators was empty, but the other was carrying 20 people, including two children. It came to a halt about 30 meters from the ground.
Rescue workers positioned an adjacent elevator alongside the one that had stopped. They opened the emergency doors on the sides of the elevators and placed a metal plate between them and transferred over the passengers. All of the passengers had been rescued after about five and a half hours.
The tower’s operator closed the facility on Monday to investigate the cause of the trouble. Staff were busy paying back advance tickets for the observation deck.
A woman from Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, said her family was on a trip to mark her wedding anniversary. She said she had been looking forward to visiting Tokyo Skytree, so it was unfortunate the tower was closed.
A tourist from Austria said he had visited the tower before, and wanted to come again. He also said he was surprised to hear about the closure, and a bit disappointed.
The operator says it is looking into the cause of the trouble, and that the tower will open to the public once safety is assured.
AloJapan.com