Packed elevator plunges 50ft, with four men suffering broken legs

By PATRICK HARRINGTON, UK NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:07, 11 August 2026 | Updated: 00:07, 11 August 2026 CCTV captured the terrifying moment an overloaded lift plunged 50ft down a high-rise building. Nine men had piled into the small elevator in Dagestan, Russia, with four suffering broken legs when it crashed into the ground. Footage showed the group packed in tightly, suspecting nothing of the impending disaster. A sudden jolt threw them to the ground as something in the lift mechanism broke and it plummeted to the floor. The men found themselves lying on top of one another, visibly shell-shocked by the fall. Authorities said that nine people had squeezed into the lift, rather than the permitted six. Emergency services rushed to the scene after the accident. A statement from the regional health ministry said: 'Doctors of republican hospitals are busy treating four injured people as a result of a lift crash in an apartment building. An elevator packed with nine men plummeted 50ft to the ground in Dagestan, Russia Four of the men suffered broken legs in the incident Emergency services rushed to the scene, and all the men have thankfully avoided life-threatening injuries 'The lives of those injured are not in danger.' The building, completed back in 2021, has never received a commissioning certificate or been formally transferred to the municipality, officials said. To make matters worse, it is one of 180 allegedly unauthorised high-rise buildings identified by the authorities.  Dagestan’s housing inspectorate said this raised questions about whether the lift was being operated legally, or if it was technically safe. Russia‘s Investigative Committee has since opened a criminal investigation into the incident.