An elevator door in an office. (Credit: Illustration photo by Matthieu Karam)
BEIRUT — After being invited to dinner at a friend's house in the Sioufi neighborhood of Ashrafieh on Tuesday, two women in their sixties separately fell to their deaths down the elevator shaft of their host's building, a senior source in the Internal Security Forces told L'Orient-Le Jour on Thursday.
"The two women were guests at their friend's home in Achrafieh. One arrived around 7 p.m. by cab, the other almost half an hour later by car. After opening the elevator door, they fell down the shaft and died," the source explained.
Reported missing, the bodies of the two victims were not found until "several hours later."
According to several local residents, the building, located on a cliff, has two entrances. One entrance leads directly to the fifth floor, and the host's apartment is on the sixth floor. The victims are believed to have used the building's upper entrance, causing them to fall some fifteen meters.
The security source could not immediately confirm these details but said the investigation is ongoing. He added that the accident was due to "a technical problem."
"Earlier in the day, a woman had been trapped in the elevator following a power cut. The building's janitor then raised the elevator shaft to help her get out," the source explained.
No arrests have yet been made.
L'Orient-Le Jour contacted the host in question, but she declined to comment on the incident.
