Social media users debated the causes of the lift's fall in the Makhachkala high-rise.
The lift fell due to improper installation or inadequate maintenance, said some users commenting on social media about the incident in the Makhachkala high-rise. Another part of the commentators placed the blame on the passengers themselves, who, in their opinion, overloaded the lift.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on the evening of August 8, in house No. 27 on Elza Ibrahimova Street in Makhachkala, the lift with people fell. Four men were hospitalized with broken legs.
The problem of unauthorized construction of high-rise buildings remains relevant for Makhachkala. For instance, in March 2025, an explosion occurred in a 14-story building, the developer of which had permission to build only nine floors. The building was included in the register of illegally constructed apartment buildings, lacking technical documentation and a gas supply contract. The head of Dagestan then acknowledged that the cities of the republic had been illegally built with apartment buildings for many years, many of which are already inhabited. In March 2026, the court ordered the demolition of another illegally built eight-story building on Azizov Street.
A video posted on Instagram* by the account golos.dagestana shows nine men entering the lift. One of them warns the others about a possible overload, but the passengers close the doors, after which the cabin starts moving and falls. The publication sparked active discussion on social media.
As of 11:50 AM Moscow time on August 9, this post in the Instagram*-public golos.dagestana, which has about 1.1 million followers, received 1,073 likes and 368 comments.
Some users doubted that the cause of the fall was overload, as a functioning lift should not start moving in such a case.
"Any lift has an emergency load reserve. The weight of seven to nine men was approximately 550–700 kilograms. The lift must withstand such loads. Questions to the installers and the service company," wrote kosmo.beauty_face.
"Because they carelessly install lifts and do not maintain them. In new buildings, the lift breaks down every two days, and that is abnormal," stated marina_24rus.
"It should signal and not move. So, the installer is to blame," suggested _the_luna_004.
Check the condition of the lifts in Makhachkala's buildings called for zuhrik_danik. She mentioned that some lift operators themselves are afraid to use the equipment installed under the capital repair program.
"The lift operators themselves do not ride them, they are afraid. They say: 'I don't trust it.' On Shamil, 8, there is a terrible lift, secured with ordinary foam. Let them check the buildings," she wrote.
Other users placed the blame for the incident on the passengers themselves, pointing out that they entered the lift in a large group despite the warning about overload.
"Why enter the lift in such a crowd? I, when two or three people are riding, am afraid to enter, and here are nine," noted user aaavvvvvrrrrr.
"And what were they thinking when they entered in a crowd?" asked akhmedkhanova03.
"One of the guys said there would be an overload. If they had listened to the first one, nothing would have happened," pointed out magomedovich__97.
Some commentators focused on the fact that no one died in the lift's fall and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
"Thank God, everyone is alive," wrote umiku.decor.
"Poor guys. I hope they didn't get serious injuries," expressed hope divaaida0407.
"May Allah heal them all in the best way," wished panther.270785.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in June 2023, residents of the Makhachkala residential complex "Roman Quarter" complained that the lifts in their building were not working for four days. During such periods, residents, including the elderly and parents with infants, had to climb unlit stairs to the 12th floor.
In July 2023, in Vladikavkaz, a girl died after falling into the lift shaft, which was stuck between the sixth and seventh floors. A criminal case was opened against the head of the lift service under the article on providing services that do not meet safety requirements. In August 2024, the relatives of the deceased reported violations during the investigation of the incident.