Tokyo Skytree tower's operations resume after elevator trouble
Baku, February 26, AZERTAC
Tokyo Skytree tower reopened to visitors on Thursday after a three-day suspension caused by an elevator malfunction, according to Kyodo News.
Tobu Tower Skytree Co. had closed the 350-meter-high observation deck and other tourist facilities on the tower after 20 visitors were trapped in an elevator for more than five hours on Sunday.
Over 100 visitors queued up to get on elevators to the observation deck before the facility reopened at 10 a.m.
"I was moved by the panoramic view of Tokyo. I hope (the operator) takes measures to make sure that people can visit without any more worries," said Chizuko Sumoto, 83, visiting from the western city of Tokushima.
According to the operator, a bundle of wires connecting the elevator and its control panel was damaged when the 634-meter broadcast tower swayed in the wind, causing the control panel's fuses to blow.
The malfunction caused two of the four elevators connecting the commercial building at the base of the tower and the observation deck to stop.
The elevator carrying the 20 visitors stopped about 30 meters above the ground. Hours later, an adjacent elevator was positioned and a panel was placed between the two elevators so that passengers could be rescued through an emergency door. No one was injured.
The elevator in which the visitors were trapped is still undergoing inspection, according to the operator.
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