Summary
- A child accidentally entered the suitcase conveyor belt at Santiago de Chile International Airport.
- The airport authorities claim that their facilities comply with international security standards and are equipped with technology to detect abnormal situations.
- This is not the first time a child has ended up on an airport conveyor belt, as similar incidents have occurred in airports in the US. The airport authorities are investigating the incident and reinforcing security measures.
On November 16, 2023, a kid accidentally entered Santiago de Chile International Airport’s (SCL) suitcase conveyor belt through the check-in area after their parents lost track of him. The conveyor belt then transported the kid through the restricted areas of the airport, and he was later rescued by airport employees when he was spotted on security video.
Quite an experience
Remember in Toy Story 2 when Woody and his friends end up in a series of airport conveyor belts as they try to rescue Jessie and Bullseye from flying to Japan? They run through the belts before Jessie and Woody finally end up inside an airplane and are rescued by Bullseye and Buzz Lightyear.
Well, in Santiago de Chile, a five-year-old kid had a similar experience this month. After getting away from his parents and the airport staff, the kid entered a suitcase conveyor belt and was taken away by it. The child’s whole experience was captured on video and posted on social media, where it went viral.
SCL complies with international standards
The Santiago de Chile International Airport authorities released a statement. They said their facilities comply with “all international security standards in terms of the design of their infrastructure and are equipped with camera technology and devices that detect abnormal situations, thus preventing incidents.”
The airport authorities also pointed out that the correct and safe operation of the infrastructure operated by airlines and ground handling companies, such as check-in counters, scales, and luggage conveyor belts, “is the responsibility of personnel hired by the airlines for these purposes.”
Photo: BDLook | Shutterstock.
The child was rescued by the airport authorities without injuries. It was not revealed on which airline check-in counter the kid and his family were when the incident took place.
Finally, the airport authorities announced they are gathering all the information to determine how this incident took place and reinforcing measures and security protocols with airline operators to prevent these situations from happening again. Nonetheless, the airport authorities also urged parents and caregivers to keep an eye on their children at all times.
Not the first time it happens
While relatively uncommon, it is not the first time a kid ends up in an airport conveyor belt. In 2019, surveillance cameras caught a two-year-old toddler getting on a baggage conveyor belt at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in the United States.
The toddler walked away from his mother while she was printing out her boarding pass at a kiosk. This kid was also taken away to the restricted area of the airport and was finally rescued by employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) baggage area). This incident took place in the Spirit Airlines check-in area.
In May 2021, a nine-year-old went through the same experience in Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Patrick Hogan, then Director of Corporate Communications and Creative Services at the airport, explained,
“A group of about 20 people traveling together were in the process of checking their bags when a 9-year-old child in their group jumped onto the bag conveyor belt near the point it exits ticketing and entered the bag screening and sortation area.”
What do you think about the kid’s experience in the airport? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: La Tercera, Newsweek, NBC News.