After a long day of work, residents of a Tan Phu apartment building came home to an unpleasant surprise.

Over a dozen residents of Sacomreal 584, an apartment complex located at 785 Luy Ban Bich in Tan Phu District, were trapped inside one of the building's elevators for 40 minutes, reports Zing. The news outlet presents mixed reports as to the number of people stuck inside the elevator, claiming it was between 15 and 16 residents.

The malfunction took place at 5:23pm after the elevator doors closed but failed to move.

“I chose a floor but the elevator didn't move and the door wouldn't open from the outside,” apartment resident Nguyen Thi Huyen Thanh told Zing. “So I started to panic; I was with 14 other people and we started screaming for help.”

People outside the elevator heard cries to help and alerted the apartment complex's security, however building personnel were unable to open the doors on their own. Tan Phu firefighters were then called to the scene and the doors were opened around 6pm, freeing the 16 people inside, including a woman who had fainted.

According to building residents, such elevator malfunctions are a frequent occurrence. Three days before, security personnel were able to open the doors and free three residents caught inside, however this was the most serious incident to date.

[Photo via Zing]