A Thai woman lost her leg when it became stuck in a moving walkway at a Bangkok airport Thursday – but doctors are hopeful that the mangled limb can be reattached.
The passenger, 57, whose name has not been released, was set to board a flight at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport when she tripped over her suitcase and her leg was caught in the walkway at the hub’s Terminal 2.
The on-site medical team struggled to free her before eventually amputating her left leg from above the knee.
A photograph from moments after the horrific incident shows the woman leaning against a first responder with her missing limb concealed by blue jeans.
She was first rushed to Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital, where she was told her leg could not be reattached.
The woman is now receiving a second opinion at Banrungrad International Hospital, where doctors have said the leg can be reattached, The Straits Times reported.
“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.”
Thanakuljeerapat added that the airport will cover the passenger’s medical costs and is open to discussing additional compensation.
The moving walkway involved in the accident was manufactured in 1996 by the Japanese company Hitachi, the airport said.
There were suitcase wheels found under the walkway after the incident, though it is unclear how this may have contributed to the freak accident.
