A recent incident in which an elevator at Tokyo Skytree stopped for about six hours, with 20 people trapped inside, was caused by damage to a cable that supplies electricity and transmits signals to the elevator car, the operator of the tower has said.
The 634-meter-tall broadcasting and observation tower in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward, which had been closed since Monday following the incident, reopened to visitors Thursday, after preventive measures were taken.
Announcing the results of an investigation into the incident, officials from the Tokyo Skytree operator and the maker of the elevator said at a news conference Wednesday that the cable was damaged after being caught in the roller of a device to contain the shaking of the elevator car, and a fuse in the control panel in the machine room melted and broke as a result.
The twist direction of the cable and the strong winds on the day of the incident might have led the cable to be caught in the roller, they said, adding that a cover was installed over the roller as part of the preventive measures.
“We sincerely apologize for causing concerns and inconvenience to a lot of people,” Takashi Murayama, a board director of the Tokyo Skytree operator, said.
AloJapan.com