Late-night rescue to free 11 people trapped in SkyCity Hamilton lift

Several people found themselves trapped in a lift at Hamilton’s SkyCity Casino late last night. Photo / Belinda Feek

A late-night rescue has been carried out at Hamilton’s SkyCity Casino after 11 people ended up trapped in a lift.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand confirmed it responded to the incident just before 11.30pm on Saturday.

A Fire and Emergency shift manager said 11 people were trapped inside the elevator for around 20 minutes.

He said a swift rescue operation had all people out of the lift by 11.45pm.

SkyCity was unable to comment on what caused the incident when contacted by the Herald early Sunday morning.

Sky Entertainment Group expanded its presence in New Zealand in 2002 with the launch of SkyCity Hamilton, a 24-hour casino situated in the city centre.

By 2005, the group had acquired full ownership of the Hamilton casino after agreeing to purchase Riverside Trust’s 30% equity stake in the casino for $33 million.

It also agreed to purchase six retail properties and office space in Hamilton’s Riverside Entertainment complex for $4 million, which is used for food and beverage operations.

The casino features over 300 gaming machines and 23 Table Games, eight bars and restaurants, a bowling alley, and an X-Golf simulator.

In 2020, SkyCity’s controversial bid to swap out three of its Blackjack tables for 60 more gaming machines in Hamilton was thrown out by the Gambling Commission.