Bosses at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok have apologised and launched an investigation after a woman had to have her leg amputated when it got stuck in a moveable walkway.

A medical team had to cut the 57-year-old Thai woman’s leg off from above the knee, after the freak accident, on Thursday.

Airport Director Karun Thanakuljeerapat told a news conference: “On behalf of the Don Mueang International Airport, I’d like to express my deepest condolences regarding the accident.

“I’d like to insist that we will ensure that no such accident will happen again.

“The cause of the incident is still under investigation to find the facts. We might need to set up a fact-finding committee with outsiders to join in order to achieve impartiality and transparency,” he said.

He said walkways are checked daily and inspected monthly.

Images shared online show the woman’s leg was trapped beneath the belt at the end of the walkway, her suitcase was missing two wheels and the comb-like plates that cover the edge of the belt where the moving walkway ends were broken off.