A woman in a wheelchair died at the Johannesburg International airport on Sunday, possibly from falling down an escalator.
Helen Ponto (65) was travelling back to Cape Town after a holiday in Rustenburg.
According to a witness who did not want to be named, Ponto’s husband was pushing her in a wheelchair in the domestic departure terminal. He refused to accept help from airport officials and opted to use the escalator rather than the elevators.
”He went on to the escalator by himself. She tipped over, she fell down and then she died,” said the witness.
Johannesburg International airport spokesperson Solomon Makgale could not confirm whether Ponto died as a result of the fall down the stairs. However, he did confirm that she died in the domestic departure terminal shortly after 3.20pm.
Makgale told the Mail & Guardian Online on Monday afternoon that the elevators had been in working order and that the woman ”was being taken down the escalator by her husband”.
”No escalator should be used to transport wheelchairs,” he said.
He added that the airport has a fully equipped clinic, which responded to the incident.
South African Police Service national spokesperson Vish Naidoo said there is an inquest under way and that the circumstances of the woman’s death are being investigated.
In October last year, a 50-year-old foreigner plunged to his death in a domestic terminal at the same airport from a moving walkway.
His death followed an accident on one of the travelators (moving walkways). The foreigner attempted to move around the obstruction by climbing along the railing of the travelator. He then lost his balance and fell to the arrivals level below.
Makgale said the airport complies with all existing legislative requirements regarding building regulations.