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A shocking video emerged this week of 17 tourists trapped in the Rio Las Vegas elevator last weekend for nearly an hour and the situation could have become dire.
Last Vegas Locally relayed the apparent lack of urgency.
"No airflow, it kept getting hotter, and we had to crack the door open just to breathe," according to witness Melissa Elicio. "There was no urgency from Rio's security or employees..."
17 tourists were trapped inside an elevator at Rio Las Vegas for nearly an hour last weekend.
"No airflow, it kept getting hotter, and we had to crack the door open just to breathe," according to witness Melissa Elicio.
"There was no urgency from Rio's security or employees..." pic.twitter.com/645hTejAqf— Las Vegas Locally (@LasVegasLocally) May 14, 2026
It is not immediately clear when the elevator was last inspected or what caused it to get stuck.
This may not be an isolated incident where Vegas is concerned.
The Rio has seen scattered guest complaints online this year regarding slow elevators, occasional outages, and lengthy check-in waits, though there do not appear to be any specific reports of an elevator becoming stuck.
As far as Las Vegas casino hotels go, there was a 2025 lawsuit filed that alleges a 22-story elevator fall at Palms Casino Resort two years prior as well as a 2025 stalled elevator rescue at Caesars Palace after a power outage.
In March of last year, Rebecca Wood filed her complaint against the Palms in Clark County as well as Otis Elevator Company.
An amended version filed the following week replaced the casino with Palms Place, the adjacent condominium-hotel tower.
According to the complaint, Wood was visiting in 2023 when an elevator fell 22 stories, resulting in serious injuries "to her bodily limbs, organs and nervous systems, all or some of which conditions may be permanent and disabling."
The Rio Las Vegas is a 36-year-old property on the Vegas Strip.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
