A BOWERCHALKE teenager plunged 150ft to his death down a lift shaft in a hotel in Argentina, an inquest heard.

Toby Mann (19), of Knowle Farm, had been taking a gap year after leaving the £21,000-a-year Milton Abbey School, near Blandford, when the tragedy took place in March.

Mr Mann had left his 14th-floor apartment in Buenos Aires one evening, with friend Timothy Bradley, to catch the service lift to the ground floor.

Tragically, a fault meant the safety doors opened before the lift had arrived and Mr Mann stepped in without realising.

He fell 14 floors, landing on the roof of the lift, which was still waiting on the ground floor.

Distraught Mr Bradley, who was locking the apartment door at the time, called after his friend but heard only a whimpering sound coming from inside the lift.

He rushed downstairs and forced the safety doors open, with the help of the apartment's security guards.

Mr Mann was then rushed to hospital but died the next day, having suffered multiple injuries.

The teenager had been working on his father's farm to pay for his gap year and had started his six-week trip abroad in Argentina.

He was due to travel to Kenya before starting at Newcastle University last month.

An inquest in Bournemouth last week heard how Mr Mann had travelled to South America to meet up with Mr Bradley to help celebrate his birthday on March 13, and the pair had spent the day before the day of the accident touring Buenos Aires.

In a written statement to the court, Mr Bradley said: "That day, we had been swimming and sailing and at 10.30pm we returned to the apartment.

"When we were leaving, I turned and was locking the front door as Toby went to get the lift. I turned round and I couldn't see him.

"I went to the lift and shouted 'Toby, Toby!'. I could see down the shaft and I heard him calling for help, so I went downstairs, but the lift door was closed."

A technical report read out by coroner's officer Julian Jeneson revealed that the apartments' lifts had been inspected on February 17 and 19 but no defects had been found.

Mr Jeneson said: "There were three lifts in the apartment block. Two of them have automatic doors but the service elevator has concertina doors.

"It would appear that, when tested, it was possible to open the service lift doors 20 to 30 per cent of the time when there was no lift there."

Sheriff Payne, coroner for Bournemouth, Poole and east Dorset, recorded a verdict of accidental death.