An 80-year-old Danish man died yesterday afternoon in a tragic elevator accident in the Axelborg building in Copenhagen.

The man was on a tour of the old building when the accident occurred. According to the police, the man had his head crushed in a Paternoster elevator – an old-school type lift that consists of a chain of open compartments that move in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping.

The man, who was declared dead on the scene by a doctor, was eventually freed using hydraulic tools.

Old school elevators
Several shocked witnessed, who had also been a part of the tour, were offered counselling.

Axelborg, established in 1920, is one of the few buildings in Denmark that still has a functioning Paternoster elevator.

Among the others are the parliament building Christiansborg, Danske Bank at Holmens Kanal and Frederiksberg Town Hall.