THIS was the horrific moment a woman's leg got mangled in an airport travelator - forcing doctors to amputate to free her.
The unnamed Thai passenger, 57, tripped over her pink suitcase as she headed to the gate at Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport.
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The passenger's leg got trapped in the travelator mechanism Credit: ViralPress 6
The woman tripped over her own luggage on the moving walkway in Bangkok Credit: ViralPress 6
A medical team eventually had to cut the woman's left leg off from above the knee Credit: ViralPress
She fell over and her leg became wedged into the mechanism at the end of the moving walkway.
Other passengers fumbled to turn off the emergency switch as the travelator continued tearing through her limb.
Pictures showed the lower part of the woman's leg trapped underneath as she was helped by airport staff.
The chewed-up suitcase lying near her was missing two wheels, and the yellow comb-like plates were seen broken off from their position covering the end of the moving walkway.
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A medical team eventually decided they had to cut the woman's left leg off from above the knee, according to airport officials.
She was then taken to Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital in the capital for emergency treatment.
The medical team at the hospital said she was initially sent to Karun where she was told that they could not reattach her leg, but the woman requested to be transferred to another hospital to assess the possibility.
Airport authorities have ordered a probe to determine the cause of the accident.
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In the meantime, the walkway has been closed as an engineering team conducts an inspection and security checks.
The airport said: "The director of Don Mueang Airport and management has visited the patient to follow up on the treatment and received information from the medical team at Bhumibol Hospital that she is currently in the process of receiving treatment from the medical team.
"Don Mueang Airport is deeply saddened by the incident and ready to fully accept the responsibility as well as take care of the medical expenses and compensation."
There were no flights delayed due to the accident.
"On behalf of the Don Mueang International Airport, I'd like to express my deepest condolences regarding the accident," airport director Karun Thanakuljeerapat said at a news conference.
"I'd like to insist that we will ensure that no such accident will happen again."
Karun said the suitcase wheels were found underneath the belt.
Investigators will examine if the wheels opened a gap that allowed the woman's leg to go through.
The airport boss added walkways are checked daily, with an additional monthly inspection.
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The travelator was manufactured by Japanese firm Hitachi and was installed in 1996, the airport director said, adding that there is a plan to change to a newer model in 2025.
In 2019, a passenger's shoe was damaged after it was caught in another walkway in the same airport, which was repaired and reopened an hour later.
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The yellow comb-like plates were seen broken off at the end of the moving walkway Credit: ViralPress 6
The pink suitcase had two wheels missing after getting chewed by the travelator Credit: ViralPress 6
The travelator was closed for inspection and security checks Credit: ViralPress