Police officers in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday managed to rescue a group of 16 people who were trapped in an elevator of an apartment building.

At around 5:45 pm, the group of people got into the elevator in Block D of the apartment building on Luy Ban Bich Street, Tan Phu District.

The lift suddenly stopped moving after it had gone up by about 0.2 meters, leading to everyone inside panicking and screaming for help.

Several residents living there heard their voice and attempted to save them but subsequently failed to do so.

Tens of firefighting police officers in Tan Phu were dispatched to the location after being notified to assist the victims, carrying specialized equipment to pull the elevator doors open.

The rescuers succeeded in setting the 16 free after about half an hour, of whom two had already passed out due to the lack of oxygen and were therefore given the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Nguyen Thi Huyen Thanh, one of the 16 people, recounted that everybody inside the elevator was terrified since the machine broke down only a few seconds after running.

She ruled out the possibility of any overload, as the elevator had already moved up anyway.

Local authorities arrived at the building to gather statements from the victims shortly after.

The exact cause of the incident is being investigated.