Twelve elderly people were injured when an elevator malfunctioned and plunged 18 floors to the ground.

Four people were taken to hospital with broken legs, news website Sohu reported.

The accident happened at about 8 am on Wednesday after the victims had attended a meeting on nutritional supplements in an apartment block in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province.

The building is 75 meters high and has 20 stories. It is equipped with two lifts manufactured by Fujitsu Asia Elevator Co's Dongguan branch.

One of the injured, who was not identified, was quoted by Sohu as saying there were about 14 to 15 people in the elevator.

“Nothing abnormal happened until the lift door closed but it fell immediately afterward. There was no warning,” she said.

Another injured person, also not identified, said she heard something similar to reinforced steel fracturing.

The elevator's load is limited to 13 people or 1,000 kilograms in weight. Its next safety inspection date was due on July 29, 2012.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, authorities were quoted as saying.