Four people rescued from malfunctioning Christchurch hotel lift
Tuesday 15 September 2026 · 3 outlets · 2 reports · updated In this story Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Four people and their luggage were rescued after being trapped in a lift at the Novotel hotel in Cathedral Square on Tuesday morning. Firefighters responded to the incident on the ninth floor around 8am. The group was stuck for approximately 45 minutes before being freed.
Key facts
4 facts
- Four people and luggage were rescued from a lift on the ninth floor
- The incident occurred at the Novotel hotel on Cathedral Square, Christchurch
- Emergency services were called to the scene just after 8am on Tuesday
- The rescue took approximately 45 minutes
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
Four people and their luggage were rescued from a malfunctioning lift at the Novotel hotel in Christchurch on Tuesday morning. Fire and Emergency NZ crews were called to the 13-storey hotel on Cathedral Square just after 8am.
The individuals were trapped on the ninth floor of the building. They were liberated approximately 45 minutes after the distress call was received.
Daniel Crosson, the Fire and Emergency NZ southern shift manager, stated the group was freed around 8.45am. Other guests at the hotel appeared to be unaware of the incident.
Compiled from reports by The Post and Stuff.