NEW BEDFORD, Mass., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Seven people had to be rescued from a stalled elevator in New Bedford, Mass., after the vehicle's weight restriction was surpassed, an official says.
The New Bedford Department of Public Facilities superintendent of facilities, maintenance and construction said while the elevator had an approximate weight capacity of 1,700 pounds, the presence of 10 people proved to be too much last week, Boston's WCVB-TV said Friday.
Superintendent John Perry said despite the weight limit warning for the New Bedford City Hall elevator, riders packed in and stalled the transport for two hours Thursday.
"Some people just don't want to listen to the elevator operator," Perry said.
Three of the trapped riders chose to leave the stalled elevator using a ladder but the remaining seven passengers were forced to wait in the elevator car until rescuers could free them.
Perry told WCVB-TV that officials would be more stringent in the future regarding the use of the elevator, which is the nation's oldest continually operating elevator with an initial manufacturing date of 1912.
"We will be kicking people off from now on," the superintendent said.
