DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Visitors on the observation deck of the world’s tallest tower heard a loud boom, then saw dust that looked like smoke seeping through a crack in an elevator door 124 floors above the ground. The 15 people inside were trapped for 45 frightening minutes until rescuers managed to pry open the doors.
Because the elevator was apparently stuck between floors, rescuers had to drop a ladder into the shaft so those inside could crawl out. On the observation deck, about 60 more people were stranded, and some began to panic.
Shortly after the drama unfolded Saturday evening, the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa — touted as one of Dubai’s proudest achievements — shut down to the public just a month after its grandiose opening.
It remains unclear what caused the elevator to the observation deck — the only part of the building that was open — to fail.
