Chinese stuck in lift chisel through wall to freedom

A group of Chinese apartment dwellers stuck in an elevator between floors were so desperate to get out they chiselled away at the wall until they broke through.

The incident occurred on Saturday at an apartment building in Shenzhen's Langgang district.

Not long after the group of 11 had squeezed into the routinely malfunctioning elevator it stopped unexpectedly and the doors failed to open.

When the emergency alarm failed to do its job the frustrated commuters decided to take action into their own hands instead of waiting for someone to come to their aid.

Fortunately one of the trapped men had a hammer and chisel on him and quickly took to the wall with the tools.

He had soon created a hole large enough to climb through and with freedom in sight a brave man was hoisted through the abyss to summon help.

The group were eventually freed but they may prefer to take the stairs in the future.