Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was briefly trapped in a lift at a private hotel in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday evening before being rescued by the Fire and Rescue Services.

The incident occurred at Hotel Prasanth in the PMG area, where Tharoor had arrived around 6 pm to attend a programme.

After receiving information that the MP was trapped inside the lift on the sixth floor, Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the hotel and launched a rescue operation. Tharoor and members of his team, who were stuck inside for around 15 minutes, were safely rescued after firefighters opened the lift door from the outside.

Speaking after the rescue, Tharoor said everyone was safe and no one had been injured.

"First, I called the lift maintenance personnel and then the hotel staff. They couldn't do anything. Only after that did we call the Fire and Rescue Services," he said.

Tharoor thanked the firefighters for their prompt response and rescue efforts.

Preliminary reports suggest the lift malfunctioned due to overloading.