Airport worker, 22, crushed to death by lift in front of horrified passengers in Bangkok

An airport worker was crushed to death by a lift as horrified passengers boarded planes in Thailand.

Mechanic Wisatrat Tangsoh, 22, was working at the bottom of the shaft when the two-tonne glass cabin descended onto him yesterday afternoon.

Shocked passengers pushing their suitcases on trolleys heard the gruesome cries of pain as frantic staff secured the area in the departures terminal of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

Colleagues from Asian Elevator Co. Ltd., rushed over and found Wisatrat's mangled body in a pool of blood on the concrete base of the lift shaft.

He had reportedly been trying to retrieve a wrench from the base when the lift began slowly descending onto him - facing a horror final few moments being unable to escape in time and those above unable to stop the lift.

Medics arrived and the worker was pronounced dead at the scene. He had suffered a catastrophic head injury from the force of the elevator.

The area was cordoned off from the public and Wisatrat's body transferred to the Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute for a post-mortem examination.

Airport managers blamed the worker.

In a statement, Suvarnabhumi International Airport said: 'From the preliminary investigation, it was found that the deceased did not follow safety procedures, which resulted in the accident causing his death.

'Airports of Thailand (AOT) have coordinated with medics and police to inspect the scene with forensics experts. AOT has temporarily blcoked off the area.

'We would like to confirm that the accident was not caused by a malfunction of the elevator in the area.

'The AOT would like to express its condolences to the family of the deceased. We will fully cooperate in the investigation to find the cause of the accident.'

Airports of Thailand had a market capitalisation of 31 billion USD in 2018 making it the world's richest airport operator, according to data from Bloomberg.

However, the state run company is also notorious for its poor health and safety. In September 2023, a passenger's leg was amputated by a faulty travelator at the city's sister facility the Don Mueang International Airport.