Sixteen university students trapped in a malfunctioning university lift for an hour were rescued in Thailand.

The pupils from the Phuket Rajabhat University had just taken their midterm exams and were using the elevator in the school's Faculty of Management Sciences building on August 21, but found the doors wouldn't open.

Worried they would be trapped for hours, they contacted school staff for help and the Phuket Charity Foundation volunteers were called to the scene.

Medics and rescue crew arrived at the university in Phuket at around 1:30 pm and placed several electric fans in front of the closed elevator 'to improve air circulation.' They also pumped the cabin with oxygen from a tube during the opration.

The officers then pried open the door little by little until the pupils could fit through the gap.

Ten female and six male students were rescued. They received first aid, but two had to be taken to a hospital from oxygen deprivation.

A professor at the uni said the elevator with a 20-person capacity was relatively new as it was built in 2018. He said the incident happened during the midterm exams period.

Authorities believe the malfunction was caused by a sudden electrical surge.