Thailand: Rescuers amputate leg of woman stuck in travelator

Rescuers eventually decided to amputate the woman's lower left leg to free her

A woman who got stuck in a travelator in Bangkok's Don Mueang airport had to have her leg amputated by rescuers.

Her son said the family was "shocked" and worried about her mental health after the surgery was carried out on Thursday evening.

The 57-year-old's leg got stuck on Thursday morning after she tripped over her suitcase while on her way to board a flight, local media said.

"My mother's morale is quite concerning," her son wrote on Facebook.

"We got to speak to her a bit before and after the operation... Even though she showed her strength through facial expression and tone of voice, we knew that deep down she was broken because she suddenly lost a leg," Kit Kittirattana added.

"Our family knows very well that we can neither make her leg work like before, nor can we bring back the same life she had lived," he wrote.

Pictures online showed the woman - who has not been named - in a sitting position with her left leg wedged underneath the travelator.

A pink suitcase next to her had lost two wheels, while yellow comb plates typically found at the end of travelators had also broken off.

Airport management said they were "deeply saddened" by the incident and would compensate the woman for the partial loss of her left leg, as well as bear her medical expenses.

And airport director Karant Thanakuljeerapat told reporters on Thursday that the cause of the incident is under investigation.

He added that the airport had planned to replace several old travelators by 2025 but may speed up the process now.

Local media reported that the travelator in question had been operating since 1996.