A baggage handler has been seriously injured after a plane reportedly ran over his foot at Gatwick Airport.

The man became trapped under a wheel of a Russian aircraft during the accident on Wednesday afternoon and was freed by the emergency services.

He is employed by dnata, a cargo handling company at Gatwick.

A South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: "I can confirm that we were called at 5.18pm today to Gatwick Airport.

"The patient, an adult male, had suffered a serious lower limb injury and, after treatment by our crews at the scene, was transported by Air Ambulance to St George's Hospital at Tooting."


A spokeswoman for dnata said: "We can confirm that a dnata UK employee was injured this afternoon following an incident on the airfield at Gatwick Airport and emergency services attended the scene.

"We are working closely with the airport and emergency services, and do not have any further information at this time. "

Image: Emergency services at Gatwick Airport

Eyewitness Flora Lu said on Twitter: "We don't really know what happened. Cabin crew informed us that we have ran over a person while being taxied to the runway.

"According to them this person was trapped under the wheel. At the moment we are still on board waiting for further information."

She later tweeted: "All police, ambulance and fire brigades left. Few more airport service vehicles arrived. Cabin crew just confirmed our plane ran over the foot of ground crew member.

"Hope he'll be OK. Waiting for extra plane "parts" as the plane is not operational now".