Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad said preliminary investigations conducted by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health had found that the lift had been well-maintained on a yearly basis.

“The certificate of fitness issued by DOSH is valid until January next year and theoretically the incident should not have happened because the elevator is equipped with safety features, including a braking system which should activate automatically,” he said.

“I have urged the Kuala Lumpur mayor (Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan) to conduct an in-depth investigation,” he told reporters when visiting the victims, adding that the lift had been in operation for 12 years and its door had been replaced several times.

DOSH director-general Omar Mat Piah said the department found that the lift had not plunged down, but had stopped abruptly about two metres from the buffer.

“An inspection by DOSH found that the elevator belts were in good condition, the system was functioning well and the brakes were working,” he said.

Eight people including a child were injured after the lift malfunctioned before plunging down from the fifth floor at 2.30pm yesterday.