Tourists at the Bangkok International Airport became involuntary witnesses of a tragedy unfolding right in front of their eyes. One traveler’s leg up to the knee was stuck in the moving canvas, the limb had to be amputated. This is reported by the Daily Mail.
The incident happened on the morning of June 30 at Terminal 2 of Don Mueang International Airport, when a 57-year-old Thai woman was preparing to board a flight bound for Nakhon Si Thammarat province. According to eyewitnesses, everything happened suddenly when the tourist tripped over her pink suitcase before entering the moving walkway. The mechanism immediately began to tighten her left leg. Horror and panic gripped the passengers, who instantly realized the danger and tried to use the emergency switch, as the structure continued to tear the muscles, tendons, and bones of the hapless tourist’s limb.
“It was terrible,” said one of the witnesses. – We heard her scream when the travelator grabbed her leg. People started screaming and running around trying to shut down the track to save her.” Alarmed passengers could not hide their shock. They described the moment of the event as “terrifying and shocking.” The suitcase lying nearby was missing two wheels, and the yellow comb-like plates were broken off where they normally cover the edge of the belt and the moving part of the track ends.
The airport staff responded to the alarming cries of passers-by. The employees called the medical team, but, unfortunately, it turned out that it was impossible to save the leg. According to them, the doctors were forced to decide to amputate the leg above the knee to stop further tissue destruction and save the life of the passenger. The operation was performed right at the scene before the tourist was taken to the capital’s Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital for treatment.
The airport authorities immediately launched an investigation to find out the cause of the incident. Specialists study the condition of the fabric and carry out a safety check. According to preliminary data, at the time of the accident, two wheels were missing from the sidewalk, and the yellow plates covering the edge of the belt were damaged. The engineering team immediately began a safety check and inspected the escalator and sidewalk.
Don Mueang Airport expressed its condolences to the injured tourist and said that it takes full responsibility for the medical expenses and compensation. At the same time, he reported that no flight was delayed due to the incident.
This terrible incident is reminiscent of a previous incident that almost ended in disaster. In 2019, a passenger also got stuck on a moving walkway at an airport in Bangkok but only damaged his shoes. The incident occurred in Terminal 1. At the time, the airport reported that the faulty track was quickly repaired and put back into operation. However, these recurring incidents make us think about the need to upgrade and replace old equipment at Don Mueang Airport to prevent similar accidents in the future.
Background: Don Mueang International Airport in the Thai capital was put into operation in 1914, but in 2006 it was replaced by the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport, located on the outskirts of the city. According to the explanation by the head of the airport, the automatic conveyor belts were installed in 1996 by the Japanese company Hitachi. However, given the age and possible safety issues, the airport plans to request a budget to replace it with a new model, though not now, but only in 2025.
Here are a few accidents that happened on the moving lanes recently:
- In 2019, a two-year-old boy nearly lost his right arm when he was sucked into the escalator in a Bangkok shopping mall. Firefighters managed to free the boy.
- In 2018, an escalator at a metro station in Istanbul (Turkey) that was out of order due to repairs started moving during rush hour. People going down it suddenly began to fall, one person was trapped under the metal stairs. The escalator continued to move for a few seconds before stopping. The victim was rescued within an hour.