Thirteen Rob Ferreira Hospital employees escaped injury when a lift at the hospital malfunctioned and plunged from the first floor down to the basement in Mbombela in Mpumalanga yesterday.

The Mpumalanga Department of Health’s spokesperson, Dumisani Malamule, says the incident occurred at about 14:00.

“Preliminary investigations have revealed that the lift started malfunctioning from the first floor and went down to the basement. The 13 staff members were immediately rushed to casualty for a check-up, and fortunately, no one was injured,” says Malamule.

He adds that the department has already called for an independent service provider to conduct an investigation into what caused the lift to malfunction, and to also conduct an assessment of all the lifts at the hospital.

“The department has also requested a full maintenance report on the lifts from the service provider appointed to service them,” says Malamule.

He says a full account of the incident will be provided once all the investigations, assessments and a detailed report have been completed.