This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/london/8044164.stm
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 5 | Version 6 |
---|---|
Tower Bridge lift fall hurts six | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A number of people were injured when a lift in Tower Bridge, central London, fell 10ft. | A number of people were injured when a lift in Tower Bridge, central London, fell 10ft. |
The lift dropped in the north tower of the structure, the City of London Corporation said. | The lift dropped in the north tower of the structure, the City of London Corporation said. |
Four men and two women, including tourists from Spain, suffered leg injuries including at least one broken leg and a broken ankle. | |
The six were taken to hospital and about 10 people left the scene uninjured. An investigation has begun. | |
The City of London Corporation spokeswoman said: "The lift is believed to have fallen 10ft (3m) when it was on the way up from the (bridge level) ground floor." | |
The door to the lift opened automatically, she added. | The door to the lift opened automatically, she added. |
The bridge houses an exhibition on the history of the London landmark. Five exhibition visitors and one member of staff were injured. | The bridge houses an exhibition on the history of the London landmark. Five exhibition visitors and one member of staff were injured. |
The spokeswoman added: "The lift takes a maximum of 40 people but it is not possible to say exactly how many people were in the lift." | |
Three ambulance crews and a hazardous area response team were sent to the scene at 1310 BST. | Three ambulance crews and a hazardous area response team were sent to the scene at 1310 BST. |
The six patients were all conscious when the crews arrived at the bridge, a London Ambulance service spokeswoman said. | The six patients were all conscious when the crews arrived at the bridge, a London Ambulance service spokeswoman said. |
They were taken to Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, and St Thomas Hospital, south-east London. | They were taken to Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, and St Thomas Hospital, south-east London. |
We are desperately sorry in causing this inconvenience Philip Everett, City of London Corporation | |
The City of London Corporation, which owns and manages the bridge, said it was co-operating with a Health and Safety Executive investigation into the incident. | |
The corporation's director of environmental services, Philip Everett, apologised for the incident. | |
"We are desperately sorry in causing this inconvenience," he said. | |
"We clearly very much regret it and we wish (the injured people) well." | |
Mr Everett said it was too early to speculate why the lift fell but added that the incident was "very concerning". | |
He said he was unaware of any previous problems with the lift, which carries about 1,000 people per day. | |
The Tower Bridge exhibition will remain shut until its other lift has been examined, Mr Everett said. |