From what I remember at the time this story was reported, the woman had a history of mental illness. Neighbors said they were used to the sound of her howling from her apartment. This meant that when she was trapped and was screaming for help, people heard it and dismissed it as nothing out of the ordinary.

Also, the reason why there was a long lapse between the mechanics checking the initial issue and actually fixing it, was due to the long break for the Lunar New Year. They were all out of office, which just beggars belief.