Unable to understand an automatic warning in Japanese, 12 Americans overloaded an elevator designed for six people and were trapped for 30 minutes early Sunday when the lift groaned to a halt. According to police, eight rescue vehicles were dispatched to a building in the downtown Kagomachi district to assist the victims.

The elevator came to an emergency stop around 1:20 a.m. as the 12 American men and women attempted to move from the second to the first floor.