The Airports of Thailand (AoT) said on Wednesday that the June incident at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport, where a woman tragically lost her leg after falling into a moving walkway, was caused by a collapsed metal plate.
The President of AoT, Kerati Kijmanawat, investigated the incident and revealed that a metal plate on the moving walkway between Gate 4 and Gate 5 on the second domestic terminal had detached from its frame, creating a hazardous opening.
As a result, a 56-year-old Thai woman traveler fell into the mechanism, resulting in the permanent amputation of her left leg above the knee. The injured woman received immediate medical attention at the airport and was transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment.
In response to the tragic incident, Mr. Kerati offered a sincere apology and promised to compensate the victim in the best way possible. Meanwhile, the family of the woman has sought legal help to file a complaint with the police for further investigation into the incident.
AoT has announced that it will engage a third party to conduct thorough quality checks on all components of every moving walkway at Don Mueang, as well as evaluate the maintenance standards of airport staff. To prevent future accidents, AoT plans to install sensors capable of detecting any defects in the walkway plates.
As a precautionary measure after the accident, all 20 moving walkways were temporarily suspended from service, pending inspections and necessary upgrades. It is worth noting that the moving walkways have been in operation since 1996, with routine checks conducted every six months.
