A woman was found dead at an airport after falling into a gap and plunging down a lift shaft in Indonesia.

Aisiah Sinta Dewi, 38, rode the lift onto the second floor while she was on her way to meet her niece at the check-in area of the Kualanamu Airport in Medan on April 24.

CCTV footage shows Aisiah calmly walking into the double-sided cabin before fiddling with her phone. She appeared to be confused when the lift stopped with the doors facing her still closed.

She was unaware that another set of doors behind her had opened and began frantically pushing the emergency buttons while trying to prise open the closed doors.

Aisiah reportedly called her niece to tell her she was trapped as she pushed against the closed doors, which opened and she plunge down the gap into the lift shaft.

Aisiah's frantic family asked airport staff to search for her after losing contact but they could not find her in the airport terminal. She was
only found three days later when a foul stench emerged from the area near the elevator and staff were called to investigate.

Her body was discovered trapped at the bottom of the shaft and was recovered after a five-hour operation. Her remains were sent to the Medan Bhayangkara Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Dedi Al Subur, the airport's head of corporate communications, reportedly blamed the accident on a lift malfunction, claiming the Aisiah had tried to prise the doors open.

The victim's brother, Raja Hasibuan, said there was 'poor elevator security' and did not believe his sister was at fault.

He said: 'We asked for the video from the elevator because it was there that we lost contact with her.

'This is an international-level airport. How are safety standards like this? And the response from the staff was very, very unsatisfactory.'

Deli Serdang police said they are awaiting the results of the forensic examination and have started interviewing witnesses.

The North Sumatra Ombudsman office has reportedly criticised airport authorities for alleged neglect and the airport's allegedly slow response to her family's plea for help.