It's the stuff of nightmares - three men getting stuck in a lift immediately after a curry feast.
But it was the dire reality for an Australian, Englishman and Taiwanese man who battled uncontrollable flatulence, 38 degree heat and 99 per cent humidity during the longest half hour of their lives.
The three colleagues had just finished delicious curries at an Indian restaurant in Marrara in Darwin's north when they tried to take the lift to travel just one floor up to their hotel room.
'The lift surged and went up and down, up and down again. The emergency lights went on and we realised we were in for the long haul,' said Ben Rose - the Australian of the trio.
Almost immediately, Cega Wang realised he needed the bathroom urgently and warned his friends 'he might need to have a wee in the corner,' according to Mr Rose.
Not long after, the Englishman, Scotty Lintern 'apologised in advance', warning his friends his stomach was starting to rumble after his fatal meal choice - the spicy laksa.
A wave of eyewatering flatulence quickly followed to torture his trapped friends.
'We were struggling to breathe after Scotty's little effort, there was a smell in that lift that I thought would outlast religion,' said Mr Rose.
'Cega was deep breathing through a tiny crack in the elevator with tears in his eyes. He hasn't spoken to us since,' he joked.
'It's been a long recovery after that day, but we're getting there.'
There was no air conditioning in their metal prison and the men were soon left struggling against the humidity and the after effects of their curries.
'Hell would have been a few degrees cooler. It was more painful than I imagine childbirth would be, we were at our wit's end,' said Mr Rose.
'It was hot as sin, we were all sweating profusely and sitting on the floor in little pools of our own sweat,' said Mr Lintern.
The trio took out their phones to record the experience, with video showing the broken, sweaty men explaining how 'dire' it felt.
'Ben and I saw the funny side of things the whole way through but Cega looked a bit stressed,' said Mr Lintern.
'We've bonded over the experience but I think Cega might have filed for divorce.'
The men were resourceful enough to call the pub next door for emergency beers.
Despite an earnest effort from all involved to pull the beverages into the lift, the beers sadly couldn't be shuttled through to the men in need.
'It was only half an hour but it felt like a week long ordeal,' said Mr Rose.
'We went straight out from the lift to the pub and cracked a few beers. Cega ran straight to the bathroom though and stood in the shower for half an hour,' said Mr Rose.
Despite their traumatic experience, Mr Lintern - who has earned himself the nickname 'the farting Englishman' - still has found memories of the restaurant.
'It was a delicious meal, really tasty. We haven't been back to the restaurant, that's probably a good idea.'
- Daily Mail
