Stuck in Japanese Lift During Quake? Water and Toilets to be inside!

Local Editor

Elevators in Japan could soon be equipped with toilets and emergency drinking water for those trapped inside during an earthquake, an official said. The next "big one" could leave up to 17,000 people stuck in lifts, the government estimates.

The toilets may consist of collapsible cardboard material with a waterproof bag or absorbent material inside.

Some of the country's newer lifts already have small seating areas for elderly riders, and installing toilet facilities underneath could be a possibility.

The move is a result of a meeting between officials from the Infrastructure Ministry and elevator industry bodies, an official from the Elevator Makers Association said.

Further, the announcement came after a 7.8 magnitude quake left dozens of people in elevators for over an hour Saturday. According to the Infrastructure Ministry a total of 19,000 elevators stopped in the capital and neighboring prefectures.

Although most of the elevators automatically stopped at the nearest floor and opened their doors, 14 lifts were stranded between stories.

It's a situation that is likely to happen again, as Japan - which sits at the crossroads of four tectonic plates - is regularly hit by powerful earthquakes.

In fact, the government estimates that the next "big one" may leave up to 17,000 people stranded in elevators. Seismologists said a massive quake would almost certainly hit Tokyo in the coming decades.

Japan has about 620,000 elevators in public or commercial buildings. About 20 percent of those are in Tokyo.

However, twelve people were injured in Saturday's earthquake, according to the Tokyo fire department and local media. The quake was centered on a remote spot in the Pacific Ocean, about 900 km [550 miles] south of Tokyo, but was felt throughout the country.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team