BANGKOK. A woman had her leg amputated at a Thai airport after it became trapped in a movable walkway on Thursday, according to officials.
The incident occurred at Terminal 2 of Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, where a 57-year-old Thai passenger was preparing to board a morning flight to Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand. Unfortunately, her leg got caught in the walkway, and the airport’s officials reported that a medical team had to amputate her left leg above the knee.
During a press conference, Don Mueang Airport Director Karun Thanakuljeerapat expressed his condolences on behalf of the airport and stated, “I’d like to insist that we will ensure that no such accident will happen again.” He assured that the airport would take full responsibility for the woman’s medical expenses and would be open to negotiating further compensations.
Karun mentioned that the woman was initially taken to a hospital where the medical team concluded that her leg could not be reattached. However, at her request, she was transferred to another hospital to explore the possibility.
Images circulated online showing the lower part of the woman’s leg trapped beneath the belt at the end of the walkway, with airport staff providing assistance. A nearby suitcase was missing two wheels, and broken yellow comb-like plates were seen near the edge of the belt where the walkway terminates.
Karun explained that the suitcase wheels were found underneath the belt, but it was unclear how they were related to the accident. He stated that the airport conducts daily inspections of the walkways, with an additional monthly check. The walkway involved in the incident has been closed, and a team of engineers is conducting an investigation to determine the cause.
The airport director mentioned that the walkway was manufactured by the Japanese company Hitachi and was installed in 1996. He added that there are plans to request a budget to replace it with a newer model in 2025.
This is not the first time an incident has occurred with the airport’s walkways. In 2019, a passenger’s shoe was damaged after getting caught in a moving walkway at Terminal 1. The airport promptly repaired the faulty walkway, and it was reopened within an hour, as stated in a subsequent official statement.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
