Four men sustained broken legs after an overloaded elevator plunged approximately 50 feet in Dagestan, Russia, on August 10, 2026. CCTV footage captured the moment nine individuals packed into the small elevator, exceeding its permitted capacity of six.
A sudden jolt caused the elevator mechanism to fail, and the car plummeted to the ground, throwing the occupants onto each other. Emergency services responded to the scene. The regional health ministry confirmed that doctors were treating four injured individuals, stating that their lives were not in danger.
The building where the incident occurred was completed in 2021 but has not received a commissioning certificate and has not been formally transferred to the municipality. Authorities have identified it as one of 180 allegedly unauthorized high-rise buildings in the area. This has raised questions from Dagestan’s housing inspectorate regarding the elevator's legal operation and safety.
Russia's Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal investigation into the incident.