A sudden elevator malfunction in an apartment left three residents injured in southern China.

CCTV footage filmed in the city of Changsha in Hunan Province on August 26 shows an elevator coming to an abrupt halt and suddenly lurching violently, with all passengers inside being thrown into the air.

One individual even hit the ceiling of the cabin before landing back to the ground.

Mr Li, one of the residents who was in the elevator during the incident, narrated the terrifying experience. Living on the 25th floor, he was heading downstairs for a walk when two other residents from the 23rd and 16th floors joined him.

"Suddenly, the elevator stopped while descending. It got stuck and wouldn't budge," said a still-shaken Li. When the elevator reached the 4th floor, it started swaying.

Li tried pressing buttons for other floors, but there was no response, and soon all the lights on the panel went out. Before Li could even react, the elevator plummeted downward. "Everything was spinning. We were all thrown in the air before crashing onto the floor," Li said.

Once the elevator stabilised, the three injured residents had to wait for rescue, with Li sustaining only minor bruises on his thigh.

Li contacted the property management and the fire department for help. It was close to 10:00 pm when the victims were finally taken to the hospital.

Another resident, Mrs Wu, revealed that her husband was among the severely injured. He suffered from two fractured lumbar bones and is still receiving treatment. "Had there been elderly or children inside the elevator at the time, I dread to think what could have happened," she expressed, adding that residents had previously reported issues with the elevator to the property management.

Responding to the incident, a representative from the apartment complex's property management mentioned that their team arrived promptly at the scene and cooperated with firefighters during the rescue.

The management has dispatched six employees to accompany the injured at the hospital and has committed to covering all medical expenses resulting from the accident.

On the afternoon of August 27, a representative from the Otis Elevator Company responded, stating that experts had been sent to inspect and repair the elevator. The investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

8月26日20时许，湖南长沙市芙蓉区中房瑞致国际小区居民楼发生电梯故障坠落事故，导致电梯轿厢内3名业主受伤。在经过近一个小时的救援后，3名伤者均被送医救治。 事发电梯监控显示，8月26日20时26分20秒，电梯突然停止运行。26分36秒，电梯突然剧烈运行，电梯内人员均被腾空抛起，最高的一人抛飞至轿厢顶。 事发时乘坐电梯的业主李先生介绍，他家住24楼，当时他独自出门乘电梯下楼散步，先后又有两名业主进了电梯，分别是22楼和15楼的业主。 “电梯下行过程突然停下来，卡住不动了。”李先生心有余悸地回忆道，电梯运行到3楼时突然停下来，且发生上下摆动，“我就急忙去按其他楼层，按键失灵没有反应，随后所有的按键瞬间熄灭了。” 李先生称，自己还没反应过来时，电梯突然快速向下坠落，“当时就感觉天旋地转，我们3个人都飞了起来，然后又砸在地板上。”李先生介绍，电梯恢复平稳后3人只能瘫坐在地板上等待救援。 “我受伤是最轻的，大腿有轻微的擦伤，另两名业主当时已经无法动弹。”李先生首先给物业打了电话，随后又联系了消防部门。直到10时左右，3人才被送医救治。 另一位业主吴女士介绍，她老公是伤得最严重的，腰间断了两根横骨，目前仍在医院接受治疗。“事发当时如果是老人和小孩在电梯里，结果我都不敢想。”吴女士表示，小区的电梯经常出现问题，业主们向物业公司反映过。 该小区物业一位负责人称，接到被困业主求助电话后第一时间赶到了现场，配合消防救援人员展开救援。该负责人表示，物业公司派了6名工作人员前往医院陪护，事故所造成的医疗费用，物业公司也会负责。 8月27日下午，奥的斯电梯一名负责人回应称，目前总部已经派遣专业人士现场进行检测维修，电梯发生事故的原因还在调查中。