Congress MP Shashi Tharoor Stuck In Kerala Hotel Lift, Rescued After Several Minutes - VIDEO

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday got trapped in a lift of a hotel in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, where he was scheduled to attend an event. Tharoor was rescued by fire and rescue personnel after several minutes. The Thiruvananthapuram fire station received a call about the incident at around 7:37 PM, an official said as reported by PTI.Visuals that surfaced online show people initially trying to open the lift doors using iron rods, but without success. After the fire force officers reached there, they used a hydraulic spreader to pry open the doors of the lift and rescued Tharoor and the others trapped with him at around 7.51 PM. Tharoor got briefly stuck in the lift of a private hotel while arriving to attend the installation

ceremony of the Rotary Club of Trivandrum East in the city.When the lift doors were pried open, it showed that the elevator had not completely reached the intended floor. Stepping out of the lift with a big smile, Tharoor thanked the fire force officers. "Thank you to all of you. Well done. You have done a good job," he said.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor got briefly stuck in the lift of a private hotel while arriving to attend the installation ceremony of the Rotary Club of Trivandrum East. Fire and Rescue Services personnel reached the spot and used a hydraulic… pic.twitter.com/EA0FtTHTqZ

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2026

When they asked if he was fine, Tharoor replied that all those in the lift were fine. He told reporters that initially the lift mechanics were called, but they could not do anything, and when even the hotel staff were unable to help, they thought of calling the fire and rescue services."The lift got stuck, we tried every means of getting out but nothing worked. We called the Fire and Rescue Services, they rescued us," Tharoor told ANI.

Later, the Congress MP also took to X to once again thank the Kerala Fire and Rescue Service. He said that due to the incident he got late for his next two appointments, including one with a minister.

"Half an hour in the lift was not a major problem, though it did make me unconscionably late for my next two appointments, one with a Minister calling on me! But I would wish to add a huge thank-you, and my highest appreciation, for the speed, efficiency and capability of the Kerala Fire & Rescue Service, who did a highly commendable job within minutes of receiving our call," Tharoor wrote.(With inputs from agencies)