A woman underwent an emergency leg amputation at a Thailand airport after an accident Thursday involving a moving walkway, reports said.
Officials say the incident happened at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, according to Fox News.
WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES:
The 57-year-old victim was about to board a flight to Nakhon Si Thammarat province when her leg reportedly got caught in the walkway at Terminal 2 after she tripped over her suitcase and fell, LAD Bible reported Friday.
An image shows multiple crew members standing at the end of the walkway:
“A medical team there eventually had to cut her left leg off above the knee, according to the airport’s officials,” the Fox article said.
Another photo shows the woman with her leg apparently trapped in the teeth of the walkway as she sits near her pink suitcase and handbag.
WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGE:
“My heart goes out to her. I’m praying for her emotional healing and recovery after such a horrific tragedy,” one social media user commented on the Fox report, while another said, “Oh my goodness that poor lady! I’m so sorry this happened to her. What a horrific thing.”
Don Mueang Airport Director Karun Thanakuljeerapat expressed condolences on behalf of the airport regarding the incident.
“I’d like to insist that we will ensure that no such accident will happen again,” the director said, adding the airport was taking full responsibility for the victim’s medical expenses.
Medical personnel at the local hospital where she received care reportedly told Thanakuljeerapat they could not reattach the severed leg.
However, she asked to be taken to another hospital to inquire about the procedure, the director noted.
The airports walkways are reportedly checked on a daily basis and undergo monthly inspections.
For now, the walkway in question, which was installed in 1996, has been shut down as engineers work to figure out how the accident happened.
Officials are reportedly planning on upgrading to another model in the next few years, depending on the budget.
According to the LAD Bible report, the woman is in the care of a medical professionals who will continue monitoring her treatment.
“The airport also declared that ‘strict penalties will be taken’ if it is found the tragic ordeal was ’caused by defects or negligence,'” the outlet said.