Woman’s leg amputated at Bangkok airport after getting stuck in moving walkway

A woman’s leg has been amputated in a Thai airport after it became trapped by a movable walkway on Thursday, officials said.

The 57-year-old Thai passenger was due to board a morning flight from Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport to Nakhon Si Thammarat province when she was caught by the walkway in Terminal 2. A medical team there eventually had to remove her left leg from above the knee, according to the airport’s officials.

“On behalf of the Don Mueang international airport, I’d like to express my deepest condolences regarding the accident,” airport director Karun Thanakuljeerapat told a news conference. “I’d like to insist that we will ensure that no such accident will happen again.”

He said the airport would be fully responsible for the woman’s medical costs and would be open for negotiations regarding other compensation.

The medical team at the hospital 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.

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 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.

Karun 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 were checked daily, with an additional monthly inspection. He said the walkway had been closed and a team of engineers was inspecting it to determine the cause of the incident.