Woman is sucked into baggage conveyor belt at the airport and dies

It’s a true airport mystery.

Baggage claim

Chicago authorities are puzzled after a woman died at O’Hare International Airport after becoming entangled in a baggage conveyor belt. The Guardian reports.

The strange situation came to light on Thursday when firefighters were called to the airport that morning because someone was stuck in machinery that controls the baggage conveyor, the newspaper said. The 57-year-old woman, whose identity has not yet been publicly released, was found dead in a baggage area that is not open to the public.

Surveillance footage later showed that the woman, who was not an airport employee, had somehow managed to get into the room early that morning. However, the video does not show how she got into the baggage carousel machinery.

Deadly trap

Although this incident is rather unusual, other people have died or been seriously injured at baggage carousels at airports.

In February, a baggage handler at London’s Heathrow Airport suffered brain damage after her scarf became caught in a conveyor belt while she was at work. The belt dragged her along for a distance, causing serious injuries.

In 2013, a five-month-old baby died at a Spanish airport when his mother placed his baby carrier on one of the machines, causing the conveyor belt to move and the child to be thrown into the machine’s rollers, where he was crushed.

The bottom line of all these stories is that baggage carousels, even if they look harmless, are not something you should mess around with.

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