Guests stranded atop Berlin Funkturm after lift breaks down

Around 20 people were left stranded high above Berlin on Friday evening after a lift at the city's Funkturm broke down, trapping about 15 guests in the restaurant and four others on the observation platform of the capital's former broadcasting tower, the fire brigade said.

Firefighters eventually escorted the restaurant guests down the stairs, a spokesman said. One person with limited mobility was brought down using an evacuation chair.

The guests stuck higher up on the platform of the radio tower some 126 metres above ground, were unable to descend via the emergency staircase, which has several hundred steps. Emergency crews considered various rescue options, including the use of a crane, the spokesman said.

In the end, however, the lift manufacturer succeeded in activating the system in emergency mode, allowing those affected to reach the ground again at reduced speed.

The operation lasted around one and a half hours, according to the spokesman. It remained unclear how long the guests had already been trapped before they called the emergency services at around 9:40 pm (1940 GMT).