The incident occurred at around 8.30pm and required a large-scale emergency response with medical services, officers from the Local Police and the National Police and firefighters from the Vélez-Málaga fire station of the provincial fire service consortium (CPB) at the scene.

The six people involved were subsequently taken to hospital. One of them, an 82-year-old woman, has since died as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident, according to sources close to the investigation who spoke to SUR. The other five residents, aged between 68 and 91, remain in hospital. The injured have suffered fractures to their legs and arms, as well as other injuries of varying severity, and their condition is being closely monitored.

Emergency services have been working at the building for several hours whilst attempting to establish the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident. It is not yet known what caused the lift to fall and a police investigation will determine whether it was due to a mechanical fault or any other operational issue.

The care home where the incident took place is funded by the Andalusian regional government. The building is designed to accommodate dependent people aged over 65 who require personalised care and support, with 200 places available.

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