Fatal mix-up at the airport: a granny gets onto the baggage carousel and disappears

Vladikavkaz (Russia) - It can be confusing for passengers at an airport with all its corridors, doors and escalators. Older people in particular can find it difficult to find the right way to their booked flight. In a Russian city, curious scenes occurred before departure when an elderly lady (74) wanted to take a "shortcut".

Unnoticed by two female employees, a 74-year-old woman got onto the baggage carousel at an airport in Russia.
Unnoticed by two female employees, a 74-year-old woman got onto the baggage carousel at an airport in Russia.  © Bildmontage/Screenshot/Instagram/nasdasromm

Anyone familiar with airport procedures will know that you have to hand in your checked baggage at the airline counter. The suitcase is then weighed and, if everything is correct, taken to a separate area of the airport via a baggage carousel.

There the baggage is sorted and transported by vehicle to the aircraft to be loaded.

At Beslan Airport north of the city of Vladikavkaz, however, a completely different kind of "good" has now been transported backwards via the rubber belt.

According to the Daily Mail , an elderly lady probably thought that the black rubber belt was a moving walkway, which is typically installed in many large airports to speed up transportation.

In the footage from a surveillance camera, you can see how the grandmother - completely unnoticed by two employees at the counter next door - climbs onto the baggage carousel, which then starts to move.

The elderly lady fell and disappeared into the luggage compartment. It was only then that the employees became aware of the incident.
The elderly lady fell and disappeared into the luggage compartment. It was only then that the employees became aware of the incident.  © Screenshot/Instagram/nasdasromm

The woman in the yellow fur coat manages to hold on for a few more steps before she reaches the plastic curtain, where only suitcases usually disappear. She tries to make her way through the gap, but then falters and falls backwards.

The two airport employees only become aware of the mishap when the 74-year-old is moved further out of the camera's field of vision by the conveyor belt. The two of them and another passenger stare in disbelief at the now empty baggage carousel.

"A passenger mixed up the conveyor belts at Vladikavkaz airport and accidentally ended up in the baggage compartment ...", writes the news channel Shot. Fortunately, the baggage handlers were behind the wall and were able to help the senior citizen immediately. The employees were "naturally surprised when a woman came to them instead of suitcases", according to the report.

As it turned out, the elderly woman had initially done everything right and checked in for a flight from Vladikavkaz to Domodedovo Airport in Moscow. But then everything went wrong.

Even though the incident looks quite painful on the video of the security system, the elderly lady is said not to have been injured.