Woman’s leg amputated at Bangkok airport after being trapped under moving walkway

Airport authorities will be responsible for medical costs

A 57-year-old woman’s leg had to be amputated after it was stuck at a movable walkway at an international airport in Bangkok.

The freak accident took place at around 8.27am local time, when the passenger was due to board a flight from Terminal 2 of Don Mueang Airport to the southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

A medical team quickly responded to the scene. They eventually had to cut her left leg off from above the knee, according to the airport’s officials. She was transferred to the nearest hospital. The authorities have not yet named the woman publicly.

"On behalf of the Don Mueang International Airport, I’d like to express my deepest condolences regarding the accident," Don Mueang airport director Karun Thanakuljeerapat said during a news conference. "I’d like to insist that we will ensure that no such accident will happen again."

He said the airport will be fully responsible for the woman’s medical costs and will be open for negotiations on other compensations. The medical team at the hospital she was initially sent to informed Karun that they could not reattach her leg, but the woman requested to be transferred to another hospital to assess the possibility, he said.

The woman’s son, Krit Kittirattana, released a statement on Facebook wherein he described the accident as “heartbreaking”, as he shared that the mother still faces risk of complications.

“My mother has continued to express her strength through her face and voice. But deep down we know that her heart is broken since she suddenly lost her leg,” he wrote, according to CNN.

Images shared online showed the lower part of the woman’s leg trapped beneath the belt at the end of the walkway as she was being assisted by airport staff. A suitcase lying near her was missing two wheels, and the yellow comb-like plates were seen broken off from where they typically cover the edge of the belt where the moving walkway ends.

Mr Thanakuljeerapat said the suitcase wheels were found underneath the belt, but it was unclear how it might relate to the accident. He said walkways at the airport are checked daily, with an additional monthly inspection. He said the walkway has been closed and a team of engineers was inspecting it to determine the cause of the accident.

“The cause of the incident is still under investigation to find the facts. We might need to set up a fact-finding committee with outsiders to join in order to achieve impartiality and transparency,” he said.

Additional reporting from the Associated Press