Police and firefighters in Spain have rescued a woman who spent eight days trapped in the lift of her apartment building, police say.

The 35-year-old was found conscious but disorientated and was taken to hospital after she was found in the private lift in the town of Sitges near the north-eastern city of Barcelona, police said on Thursday.

The police were alerted by relatives in Madrid who had reported her missing, and then heard her cries for help when they visited the building.

Police said it was not clear how the woman, who lived alone, survived for that length of time.

The lift had apparently stalled due to an electrical fault.

AFP