Elevator Plummets in Santa Fe Building, Leaving Eight Injured

An elevator carrying eight occupants plummeted to the basement of an apartment building in Santa Fe, Argentina, triggering a major emergency response on Sunday night. The incident occurred at approximately 10:20 p.m. in a tower located at Belgrano 4744, situated right across from Federal Park in the General Alvear neighborhood.

Emergency services were alerted after a neighbor called the 911 system to report that the elevator car had crashed into the bottom of the pit, trapping several people inside. While some media reports and eyewitness accounts suggested the elevator fell from the ninth floor, other testimonies indicated it may have descended from the sixth floor. Authorities have not yet issued an official confirmation regarding the exact starting point of the fall.

Police officers, firefighters from the Zapadores brigade, municipal rescue personnel from COBEM, and medical units from the SIES 107 emergency service rushed to the scene. Rescuers utilized an emergency triangular key to unlock the jammed doors of the elevator shaft. They safely extracted all eight occupants using spinal boards and cervical collars to ensure proper immobilization during the rescue operation.

The group of trapped individuals included two minors, aged approximately one and a half and ten years old, alongside several adults ranging in age from 35 to 76. Following initial medical evaluations at the scene, the victims were swiftly transported to local healthcare facilities for further treatment and observation.

The two children were transferred to the Dr. Orlando Alassia Children's Hospital for comprehensive medical evaluations. According to hospital reports, after undergoing routine checkups and monitoring, medical professionals determined they sustained no physical injuries and discharged them later that night.

Meanwhile, adult victims were admitted to the José María Cullen Hospital. Two women suffered severe fractures in their lower extremities. One patient, aged 67, sustained an open fracture of her left tibial pilon along with a right ankle fracture, requiring immediate surgical intervention in the traumatology department before being transferred to a private medical facility.

The second injured woman, aged 41, also suffered a left tibial pilon fracture. Medical staff treated her with pain management and a supportive splint before she similarly opted to continue her recovery at a private healthcare institution in the city.

A third adult patient was evaluated at the Cullen Hospital for minor impacts and subsequently discharged after medical clearance. Investigators and forensic experts are currently reviewing the mechanical condition of the elevator and examining the maintenance records to determine the exact technical causes behind the sudden structural failure and collapse.