PHUKET: All escalators at Phuket International Airport have been inspected by qualified technicians and deemed safe for people to use, confirmed Monchai Tanode, General Manager of the Phuket branch of the Airports of Thailand (AoT Phuket).
All esalators at Phuket airport are safe, according to Monchai Tanode of AoT Phuket. Photo: PR Phuket
All 31 escalators and 27 elevators at Phuket Airport have been inspected following the June 29 incident in which a woman lost her leg after falling on one of the moving walkways at Don Mueang Airport. Both Don Mueang and Phuket International Airport are operated by the AoT.
Mr Monchai stated that after the incident, the AoT contacted the unnamed manufacturer of the escalators and elevators and requested a “strict inspection” by professional technicians.
He explained that the airport conducted a special safety check, outside of the regular service schedule, although the escalators were inspected regularly in February.
“Experts from a private company have confirmed that escalators inside Phuket Airport have been replaced with all new models. The safety of the systems fully complies with the requirements specified by the Council of Engineers of Thailand to ensure the safety of escalator users,” said the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) in a post-inspection report released at 4.35am today (July 1).
“If an object enters the mechanism, the safety system will immediately stop the operation of the escalator,” PR Phuket assured.
Walkway horror in Bangkok
In a separate development, the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) has stated that a broken suitcase wheel might have caused the incident at Don Mueang on Thursday morning (June 29), according to Bangkok Post.
The EIT has suggested that the suitcase wheel may have become stuck and broken the travellator’s comb, which then fell under the platform and widened the gap enough for the woman’s leg to fall in.
The sensor system remains functional, so the system was operating normally when the incident occurred, reports Bangkok Post, citing Boonpong Kijwatanachai, advisor to the EIT’s mechanical engineering committee.
According to Mr Boonpong, the system at Don Mueang remained intact and received maintenance checks in line with standards. Additionally, maintenance workers tested the system daily before operating it.
Mr Boonpong did not mention what people with luggage should do to avoid a similar incident. He did not provide further details on how exactly the suitcase’s wheel was broken.
Instead, Mr Boonpong urged people to be careful and avoid using mobile phones while on both the travellator and escalators. He also encouraged people not to panic about such systems as they are designed in accordance with either the “EN115 standard” or “European standards.”
Meanwhile, the police investigation into the ’walkway horror’ (as Bangkok Post referred to it) is ongoing. According to Superintendent of Don Mueang Police Col Adirek Tongkeamkeaw, investigators are currently questioning all relevant individuals while awaiting test results from the Police Forensic Science department.
The police will also investigate the outsourced company responsible for the system’s maintenance service, although Col Adirek did not specify when this will occur.
The injured woman remains in an ICU room at Bumrungrad International Hospital. The woman’s son has already expressed concerns about his mother’s mental well-being as she struggles to imagine living with only one leg. He added that a team of psychiatrists has provided initial assistance to his mother
