ldukki: An employee at the gold jewellery in Kattappana, where a 65-year-old Sunny Francis died in a lift accident, apparently received instructions via video call from a technician, which allegedly led to a grave fumble costing a life.

Sunny Francis, Managing Partner of Pavithra Gold Jewellery, Ambalakkavala, Kattappana, died after being trapped in a lift on Friday. The lift got stuck between the ground floor and the first floor while Sunny was inside. As the staff tried to rescue him, the lift suddenly shot up at high speed and crashed into the fourth floor, leading to the fatal accident.

A preliminary probe has revealed that one of the staff, reportedly trained in the operation of the elevator, contacted a technician via video call. He was directed to press a button on the control unit slowly; however, he pressed the button continuously, increasing the speed of the lift, and it rammed into the top floor while Francis was inside.

According to officials, when a lift is operated manually after shutting down power, it should be brought to the nearest floor and opened safely. The lack of technical knowledge among the rescuers, who attempted to handle the situation without expert supervision, is believed to have caused the accident. Preliminary assessment suggests that a reduced counterweight may have caused the lift to accelerate upward unexpectedly.

Sunny sustained serious injuries to his head and spine during the crash. There was also a significant delay in extricating him from the lift. Initial attempts by the jewellery staff to open the lift failed. Eventually, the Fire and Rescue team from Kattappana was called in, who had to cut open the lift to get Sunny out. By the time he was taken to a nearby private hospital, he had suffered severe internal bleeding, and later he succumbed.

Following the incident, the Idukki District Electrical Inspectorate conducted a preliminary investigation. Their findings suggest that the accident may have been caused by a lapse during the manual operation of the lift after power was turned off.

District Electrical Inspector V N Sajith Kumar and officials from the lift company carried out the inspection. Statements were collected from those who carried out the rescue and from the technician who was guiding the operation via video call. The lift components have been sent for expert analysis, and a final report will be prepared after a detailed examination.

The investigation team included Deputy Electrical Inspectors K P Vijayakumar and Deepran Jose, as well as Assistant Electrical Inspectors Rohith Raj and Amesh Kumar.

The incident has raised serious concerns about safety protocols and the need for trained personnel in emergency lift operations.