Overview
- A technical defect stopped the Funkturm elevator on Friday evening, leaving about 15 people stuck in the restaurant at 55 metres and four people on the observation platform at about 125–126 metres.
- Berlin fire crews escorted ambulatory guests down the tower stairs and used an evacuation chair to lower one mobility-impaired person.
- Height-rescue teams were called in and crews considered using a crane or rope rescue for non-ambulatory guests on the platform.
- The elevator maker succeeded in switching the lift into Notbetrieb (emergency) mode so the remaining visitors were brought down slowly and safely in an operation that lasted roughly 1.5 hours with no reported injuries.
- Accounts differ on how long the group waited before authorities were alerted, and the incident highlights the practical limits of the tower's emergency stairwell for older or mobility-impaired visitors.