Thailand airport accident: Woman’s leg amputated after becoming trapped in moving walkway

Bangkok, Thailand
CNN
 — 

A 57-year-old Thai girl needed to have her leg amputated after she received caught up in a moving walkway at a global airport in Bangkok on Thursday in a freak accident that has but to be totally defined by authorities.

Don Mueang International Airport’s director Karant Thanakuljeerapat mentioned the incident came about at round 8:27 a.m. native time (7:27 p.m. ET) in the southern hall of the home passenger terminal.

Speaking at a information convention Thursday, Karant mentioned the girl, who was touring to the southern metropolis of Nakhon Si Thammarat, had a “severe” accident on the finish of a moving walkway after her left leg grew to become caught in the top of the walkway.

Medics responded rapidly and the girl was transferred to the closest hospital, although the severity of her accidents led to the amputation of her leg as much as the kneecap, Karant mentioned.

She has since been transferred to Bumrungrad International Hospital, one of many nation’s high medical amenities, the director added.

“I would like to convey our deepest sorrow,” Karant advised reporters.

The girl has not but been named by authorities.

But her son, Krit Kittirattana, launched a press release on Facebook in which he described the accident as “heartbreaking”.

He mentioned his mom has had an operation however nonetheless faces dangers of potential issues and that docs had been holding an in depth look ahead to any indicators of an infection.

“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.

He added that the household has requested surveillance digital camera footage of the accident.

Karant, the airport director, mentioned Airports Of Thailand (AOT), the state-owned firm that operates airports throughout the nation, would care for all medical bills and supply compensation.

All of the airport’s moving walkways have had their service suspended whereas the reason for the incident is investigated and engineers do security checks, he added.

“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 mentioned.

He mentioned closed-circuit tv footage obtainable was taken from afar, thereby taking his workers extra time to analyze.

He avoided making any preliminary conclusion at this stage.

The director, nevertheless, defended the airport’s routine upkeep and checkups, and mentioned the walkway had been in service for 39 years.

One of the 2 worldwide airports in Bangkok, Don Mueang is positioned in the northern a part of the capital. It was beforehand town’s predominant airport till the newer and bigger Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in 2006.

Thailand is a vastly in style vacationer vacation spot for these looking for heat climate and palm fringed seashores.

The nation has additionally been pushing arduous for its well being tourism with an abundance of personal hospitals.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic tourism accounted for some 12% of the nation’s financial system with practically 40 million arrivals in 2019.

Arrival numbers had been decimated in the course of the pandemic however have begun recovering in current months. Thailand beat its vacationer goal in the primary quarter of 2023, logging 6.15 million arrivals between January and March.