The authorities of St Vincent de Paul Home for the elderly have ordered an inquiry after five visitors were stuck in a lift at the home for more than three-and-a-half hours yesterday.

The Secretariat for the Elderly said the lift stuck between the second and the third floors of the Serenity Ward at 5.45 p.m. and the five people in it were rescued at 9.10 p.m.

The lift can carry up to 400 kilos and the indications were that it was overloaded and as a result the emergency brake kicked in, the secretariat said.

The ward staff immediately alerted the maintenance team and the lift installers along with members of the Civil Protection Department.

The rescue operation was an elaborate one, with the rescuers having to set up chain blocks in order to lower the lift cabin.

Contact was maintained with the passengers, who were never in any danger. Fans were set up to ventilate the lift once its door was opened during the operation.

The Home said the lift is maintained regularly. A board of inquiry has been appointed.