{"id":109761,"date":"2026-05-15T10:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/15\/update-rio-las-vegas-responds-to-why-17-tourists-were-trapped-in-an-elevator-for-an-hour\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T10:03:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:03:48","slug":"update-rio-las-vegas-responds-to-why-17-tourists-were-trapped-in-an-elevator-for-an-hour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/15\/update-rio-las-vegas-responds-to-why-17-tourists-were-trapped-in-an-elevator-for-an-hour\/","title":{"rendered":"UPDATE: Rio Las Vegas Responds to Why 17 Tourists Were Trapped in an Elevator for an Hour"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n Posted on: May 14, 2026, 08:58h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

\n Last updated on: May 15, 2026, 04:20h.\n <\/p>\n

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UPDATE:<\/strong> <\/em>On Thursday afternoon, Casino.org<\/em> received the following response from the publicity company representing Rio Las Vegas:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe elevator company responsible for servicing was called immediately and their response time was estimated to be less than thirty minutes. A guest in the elevator contacted the Fire Department and they were on scene 23 minutes after the elevator had stalled. The elevators weight limit is 3,500 pounds, and issues will naturally arise when the elevator is over capacity. The situation was resolved swiftly, and the safety of our guests continues to be our highest priority.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

EARLIER:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>A group of 17 tourists got a lot more than they bargained for at the Rio this month. Instead of a high-stakes Vegas high, their night took a terrifying plunge when their elevator dropped below the lobby floor, leaving them trapped.<\/p>\n

While no one was injured by the drop, Melissa Elcio\u2014one of the 17 people inside\u2014said the group was trapped for over an hour in a stifling, hot elevator.<\/p>\n

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Melissa Elicio videos herself and 16 others trapped in a Rio elevator earlier this month. (Screengrab: Instagram\/@Justmelissajane)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cNo airflow,\u201d the nurse from Arizona wrote in her Instagram post of May 3, 2026.<\/a> \u201cWe had to crack the door open just to breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elicio\u2019s clip initially drew little attention but exploded after TV\u2019s Inside Edition <\/em>spotted it and ran a story<\/a> on its Thursday, May 13 show.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, it was really inconvenient, and then it became pretty scary,\u201d Elicio told the syndicated tabloid news program. \u201cIt stopped, and then, a second later, it dropped, probably two to three feet. It was very jostling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elicio also claimed the hotel showed \u201cno urgency\u201d in responding and that the group \u2014 including a pregnant woman and an individual having a panic attack \u2014 had to call the fire department themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were told (by security) that the fire department was called,\u201d Elicio told Inside Edition.<\/em> \u201cSo we called the fire department for an ETA, and they said, \u2018We\u2019ve never been contacted from the hotel yet.’\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Inside Edition,<\/em> the group was stuck for 55 minutes.<\/p>\n

Casino.org <\/em>has reached out to the Rio\u2019s representatives for comment and will update this story if one is received.<\/p>\n

Tourist Trap<\/h2>\n

Elicio\u2019s video<\/a> begins by panning across the tightly packed elevator as passengers \u2014 all dressed for an evening on the Strip \u2014 shout suggestions and repeatedly ring the alarm bell.<\/p>\n

It then cuts to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue forcing the doors open from the Rio lobby. Because the elevator came to a stop roughly a foot below the landing, firefighters helped each person step up to safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch your head,\u201d one firefighter says, since the top of the elevator opening was now about a foot lower than normal. \u201cNo one\u2019s hurt yet, but if you guys get crazy, then somebody\u2019s gonna get hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the group was rescued, Elicio claimed, she saw that \u201cmultiple other elevators in the hotel were also down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSituations happen, but this felt like a much bigger issue than just one elevator,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

High Maintenance<\/h2>\n

The Rio \u2014 a 36-year-old off\u2011Strip resort now operated by Dreamscape Companies \u2014 has been undergoing a multiyear renovation, including room upgrades and casino\u2011floor improvements.<\/p>\n

Reaction online was predictably brutal. Most of the 112 comments under X-based news source Las Vegas Locally\u2019s <\/em>May 14th repost<\/a> \u2014 which earned over 145,000 views \u2014 <\/em>mocked the struggling Rio\u2019s long-running reputation for maintenance issues.<\/p>\n

One user, @genefuss, delivered by far the most stinging rebuke, joking: \u201cThere were 17 people at Rio at one time?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n