Mother's scream as baby died after falling on to baggage carousel in Alicante airport horror



Mother 'dropped baby when she climbed on to conveyer belt'

Lost her balance and baby fell on belt, which began moving

Woman's screams rang through the airport



Within seconds boy had been pulled into 10cm hollow and was crushed



Infant, confirmed as an American citizen, died at scene of tragic accident

Grieving parents questioned by police over tragedy



A baby died from catastrophic head injuries when his mother lost her grip and he fell on to an airport baggage carousel, witnesses revealed last night.



Her screams rang out across the arrivals hall at Alicante airport bringing police rushing to the scene.

The 32-year-old American tourist had just arrived in Spain from Gatwick with her Canadian husband and their two children. The baby was just five months old.

Scroll down for video

The luggage belt where the child was tragically killed in Alicante airport. The mother is believed to have climbed on to the conveyer belt

Airport staff said the woman, who was also travelling with an older child, clambered onto the unmoving luggage belt





The parents were reportedly questioned about the tragic incident, and are being offered counselling

One theory under investigation is that she climbed on to the belt to grab a pushchair which had become stuck in the stationary chute.

When it began to move, she apparently lost her balance and dropped the baby carrier, according to Spanish newspaper Informacion.

Airport staff said the accident happened in seconds, giving the mother no time to react.

An airport worker added: ‘The youngster ended up trapped in a 10cm hole where two belts converge. The boy appeared to have suffered from a fractured skull.’

Other witnesses said the mother was standing beside the carousel holding her son and lost her grip as she leaned down to grab the pram.

A female easyJet worker said: ‘We heard the baby was in a carrier, but it tipped over and his head became trapped in a gap while it was moving. It is so sad.’

The family are believed to have travelled to the resort town of Denia, 60 miles from the airport and are staying at the hotel where they were due to be holidaying.

The British Red Cross has sent a psychologist and social worker to support them. An airport spokesman said: ‘A woman was travelling with her baby and her child on Wednesday when there was an accident.



The mother's horrified cries brought airport personnel including police and security to the scene

A five-month-old baby has died after an horrific accident on a baggage collection belt at Alicante-Elche Airport (pictured)

The baby boy was placed on the conveyer belt at Alicante airport (pictured) when it was activated and he was killed

‘It all happened very quickly. The staff and the doctor went immediately to assist the baby but they could not help.’

The spokesman dismissed police claims that the carousel had been stationary when the ‘baby carrier’s weight activated the belt’, setting it in motion. ‘It wouldn’t start automatically from something being placed on it,’ she added.

Spanish police said the parents had been questioned and officers were investigating.

Yesterday, airport managers visited the scene to photograph the baggage belt, which was meant specifically for larger items such as bicycles, pushchairs and surfboards.

A 46-year-old woman from Essex, who had been waiting beside the carousel when the accident happened, said: ‘It doesn’t look dangerous because it is flat. I just can’t imagine how it happened.’

But airport staff later said the woman, who was travelling with an older child as well, clambered onto the luggage belt, after the pushchair got stuck in a chute.

As she couldn't reach it, she placed her foot on an 'automatic mechanism' which set the belt in motion.

The mother’s horrified screams brought airport personnel, including police and security, to the scene.

Medical staff attempted to revive him but he had visible injuries to the head, and appeared to have suffered a cranial fracture, Informacion reported.

He was declared dead at the scene, in the baggage hall of Alicante- Elche airport.

The baby was pronounced dead by the airport’s on-call doctor.

'The youngster ended up trapped in a 10cm hole where two belts converge,' it said.

'The boy appeared to have suffered from a fractured skull.'

There were reports that the family had to wait until a judge arrived before the baby could be moved, in accordance with Spanish law.

Alicante Airport management company Aena said the baby was on the belt that delivers outsize luggage when the accident happened

Paramedics rushed to save the child's life at the airport but he was declared dead at the scene

The unnamed family had flown from London with budget airline easyJet.

The woman’s husband, who had been previously reported as travelling separately from his family, was reportedly with his children and partner in the baggage hall when the incident happened.

After disembarking from the plane shortly before midnight on Wednesday, the mother and her two children entered the terminal and arrived at the baggage reclaim area.

Spanish police said the dead baby's parents have been questioned.

A spokesman for Guardia Civil in Alicante said: 'I can confirm the death of a five month old baby at the airport. We are investigating the causes.



'As part of the investigation the mother and father have been questioned.'

A spokesman for the Forensic Anatomy Service in Alicante confirmed that a post-mortem had taken place.



He said: 'The results of the tests will not be available for at least two weeks, and not until they are passed to the courts, who will review the case.'



The family were said to be travelling to the nearby resort town of Denia and a re staying at the hotel where they were due to be holidaying as they deal with the aftermath of the tragedy.

Civil Guard and National Police spokesmen confirmed that the mother is American and the father is Canadian, CNN reported.

The Guardia Civil were the first to respond to the accident at the airport but she was declared dead at the scene

One airport worker said the baby boy was crushed by the conveyer belt after it was activated

Police sources said the boy's American mother had flown into Alicante-Elche Airport from Gatwick with the little boy and his older brother

Officials could not confirm the exact circumstances of the death.



Passengers at Alicante airport appeared unaware of the tragedy as they stood next to the luggage belt to collect their pushchairs and suitcases.

A group of British men sat on the edge of the belt as they waited for golf clubs, while a group of teenagers collected their musical instruments.

An emergency stop button was visible on both sides of the belt, while a sign warned there was a 'risk of entrapment' and showed a picture of a hand reaching out towards cogs.

The Guardia Civil said it was investigating the incident, but said it was treating the matter as an accident.