Everybody has thought about the stability of some of China’s elevators when they hop inside, especially when the elevator is old and creaky — and it’s full. Eleven people had the scare of their lives at the Longgang Center in Shenzhen on Saturday around noon when the elevator descended quickly to the basement, and then stopped there. The doors opened, but all the passengers saw was a brick wall.

The passengers cried for help, but nobody responded. Some images from surveillance video, posted below, show anxious passengers. Fortunately one of them happened to have a bag of tools with him, so he began searching for a way out.

After five minutes, the people used the tools to smash away at the wall in front of them. When one person got tired, another person would take their place.

The passengers went back-and-forth hitting the wall for an hour, until a small passageway was created. That’s when elevator repairmen arrived.

A Weibo post from one of the trapped passengers said he was trapped for two hours. The post also accused the property management company of not notifying the police and obstructing their escape to freedom when breaking through the wall.

Accidents involving elevators are often reported in Guangdong. A university student was crushed to death in a recent freak accident while a woman fell 11 floors through the elevator safety doors.

The hole created by the elevator passengers has already been patched up.

Related:

• 1 dead after bizarre elevator and Metro accidents occur on the same day in SZ
• Scary: Elevator in Shenzhen plummets 16 floors, strands passengers for over an hour
• Shenzhen pledges to improve elevator safety after price war causes accidents
• Nurse dies in gruesome accident after elevator plunges in Shenzhen

Photos: DV On the Scene Report Shenzhen Station, Shenzhen Evening Report