SINGAPORE - An elderly woman found her left hand trapped in between the lift doors at a HDB block along Tah Ching Road, near Jurong Lake, on Friday morning (Oct 9).

It is understood that her left hand was severed by the incident. She is a resident of the block and lives on the 16th storey.

An Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman confirmed that it was alerted to the incident at 7.27am on the ground floor of Block 322. On the arrival of the SCDF officers, rescue tools were used to pry open the lift doors to release the elderly woman, who was stuck inside the lift.

The spokesman added that the woman was taken to the National University Hospital with a serious left hand injury. The hospital was also alerted to be on standby to receive her.

The Straits Times understands the woman's severed hand was retrieved by paramedics, packaged in ice and taken to the hospital with her.

A 40-year-old resident, who declined to be named, said she saw the elderly woman in her 80s lying on the floor in the lift, with her white pet dog waiting outside, when she was returning home at about 7.30am.

"The dog's leash was also trapped in the lift doors. It was just hanging from the top of the lift and I saw the woman lying inside. I could also hear her crying very heavily," said the resident, who has been living in the block for 12 years.

The IT support assistant, who lives on the fifth storey, would often see the woman at the void deck in the mornings and evenings taking her dog for a walk.

The woman's next-door neighbour, who would like to be known only as Mr Lim, said that he was shocked to learn of the incident. The retiree, who is in his 60s, said that his family is close to her and would often chat when they meet.

He described her as friendly and cheerful, adding that she is a very loving owner to her pet dog, which has been with her for many years.

"I don't understand how it could have happened. The lift has a sensor so it shouldn't have closed on her hand and injure her so badly," he said.

Four workers from Sigma Elevator Singapore were seen carrying out works to the affected lift B on the second floor till about 1pm.

Police removed the cordons at 1.45pm.