Thai Airways International (THAI) flight TG679’s airline logo and serial number are painted over after it skidded off the runway at Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday night. SOMCHAI POOMLARD
By Terry Fredrickson
Videos from the Thai Airways accident scene largely show smiling passengers relieved at their survival, but it didn’t take long for complaints to begin about poor service by the ground staff. (Includes videos)
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Complaints from the Airbus accident scene
Photos sent via the internet by airport staff show the damage to flight TG679.
Nowadays, what do you do if you are in an airline mishap – or any other mishap for that matter? Once you are sure you are safe, you take out your smartphone and start taking video clips.
Thus, one day after a ThaiAirways International (THAI) Airbus 330 skidded off the runway at Suvarnabhumi airport, we have many videos of the accident scene long before the media arrived.
A passenger video shows smoke rising from the aircraft soon after the accident.
For the most part, they show smiling passengers relieved at surviving the accident relatively unscathed but from their stories, many of them were quite shocked at what happened. "Happy to be alive," one young woman said.
It is also clear that the Thai ground staff need to review their procedures
About 40 passengers injured in Sunday’s landing accident have complained of poor treatment by ground staff.
Fourteen injured passengers were sent to hospital and of them 12 have now been discharged.
The passengers gathered at Suvarnabhumi airport Monday evening to submit their complaints to THAI president Sorajak Kasemsuvan.
They said no one from the airline had informed them of how the company would reimburse their medical fees
They also claimed a lack of communication immediately after the accident, saying they were left abandoned
Former Bangkok governor candidate Kosit Suvinitjit was travelling in business class on THAI flight TG679 from Guangzhou, China, which veered off the runway on landing at Suvarnabhumi after an apparent landing gear malfunction He did not join the complainants Monday, but said ground staff performed poorly.
"I would have liked to have seen more ground staff helping passengers," he said. "There should have been interpreters in several languages to inform passengers of the situation, as many were tourists."
Mr Kosit said passengers were taken from the accident scene to immigration counters but some of the passengers had fled the aircraft without their passports, causing confusion
Passenger Panuwat Phanvichartkul said after leaving the plane, travellers were marshalled to shuttle buses.
However, the buses remained stationary with passengers locked inside unattended for 20 minutes, he said.
"The buses were packed with passengers, including those who were injured and in a state of extreme shock " Mr Panuwat said. "They needed officials to take care of them and provide them with first aid but there was no one.
President Sorajak Kasemsuvan of Thai Airways International meets a group of injured passengers who complained about the airline's ground service following the accident. (SOMCHAI POOMLARD)
"At the terminal no staff members were there to receive passengers. There was not even a glass of water to drink."
Wijit Khaoto, another passenger, said the lower end of the emergency slide he used did not reach the runway surface
This caused difficulty for shorter passengers whose feet could not touch the ground from the end of the slide Some passengers trapped at the bottom, including himself, were struck in the back by those coming down the slide after them, he said.
"No staff members were there to help. The passengers who jumped on the slide had to turn back to help pull other passengers down," he said.
Video shows former Bangkok governor candidate Kosit Suvinitjit and other passengers on a shuttle bus immediately after the accident.
A young passenger describes her experience.
Adapted from a story in today's Bangkok Post. Read the original story here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/368877/injured-passengers-criticise-thai-airways-international-accident-response
Vocabulary
abandoned: left alone by someone who is supposed to look after you - ถูกปล่อยทิ้งไว้
apparent: seeming to be something although it may not be real - ดูเหมือนว่า, ตามที่เห็นภายนอก
candidate: a person who is trying to be elected - ผู้สมัครรับเลือกตั้ง
complain: to say that you are annoyed, unhappy or not satisfied about somebody/something - บ่น, ร้องทุกข์
complainant: a person who makes a formal complaint - ผู้ร้อง(ทุกข์)
confusion: a feeling that you do not understand something or cannot decide what to do - ความสับสน
counter: a long flat surface over which goods are sold or business is done in a shop/store, bank, etc - เคาน์เตอร์, โต๊ะขนาดยาว
discharge: to allow someone officially to leave somewhere, especially a prison, hospital or a court of law - ได้รับอนุญาตให้ออกจาก
emergency: an unexpected situation involving danger in which immediate action is necessary - เหตุฉุกเฉิน
extreme: much more severe or serious than usual - ที่รุนแรงที่สุด
fee: an amount of money that you pay for professional advice or services - ค่าบริการ, ค่าธรรมเนียม
first aid: simple medical treatment that is given to somebody before a doctor comes or before the person can be taken to a hospital - การปฐมพยาบาล
fled (past of flee): escaped; left an area very quickly because of a danger there - หนีไป
gather: to come together in a group - รวมกลุ่ม, รวมตัวกัน, จับกลุ่มกัน, ชุมนุม
immediately: happening right after something else with no delay; right away - ทันที
immigration (bureau): the government agency dealing with people entering and leaving the country and those who want to live there - สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง
injured: hurt in an accident or attack - ซึ่งได้รับบาดเจ็บ
interpreter: someone who changes what someone else is saying into another language - ล่าม
lack: to not have something needed - ขาด
landing gear: the part of an aircraft, including the wheels, that supports it when it is landing and taking off; undercarriage - ล้อหรือส่วนใดๆ ที่ใช้รับน้ำหนักเมื่อลงสู่พื้นดิน
malfunction: a failure to work or operate correctly - ทำงานผิดปกติ
marshal: to control or organise a large group of people; to gather together and organise the people, things, ideas, etc. that you need for a particular purpose - จัดระเบียบ, รวม
media: radio, television, newspaper, the Internet, considered as a group - สื่อ
mishap: an accident or mistake - อุบัติเหตุ, เหตุร้าย
procedure: a way of doing something - ขั้นตอนการดำเนินการ
reimburse: to make a payment to someone who has spent or lost money on something - ชำระเงินคืน
relatively: somewhat; in comparison with someone or something similar - ค่อนข้าง
relieved: happy that something unpleasant has not happened or has ended - โล่งใจ, เบาใจ, หมดกังวล, ผ่อนคลาย
review: to study or examining a situation, policy, or idea again in order to decide whether it is suitable or satisfactory - ทบทวน
shock: a strong feeling of surprise as a result of something happening, especially something unpleasant; the event that causes this feeling - ช็อค, ความสะดุ้ง, อาการช็อค
shocked: very surprised and upset - ตกใจ
shuttle: to take people frequently between two places; to travel frequently between two places - ส่งไปส่งมา
skid: (especially of a vehicle) to slide along a surface so that you have no control - ลื่น,เลื่อนไถล,เซ,ลื่นไหล
slide: a structure with a steep slope for sliding down - รางเลื่อน
stationary: not moving - ซึ่งหยุดนิ่ง
struck (past of strike): to hit someone or something forcefully or violently - กระแทก, ชน
submit: to formally give something to someone so that can make a decision about it - ยื่น (เอกสาร) เพื่อการพิจารณา
surface: the outside or top layer of something - ผิวหน้า, ผิวภายนอก, ด้านนอก
survival: the fact or state of continuing to live or exist, especially in difficult conditions - การอยู่รอด
terminal: a large building at an airport where passengers arrive and leave - อาคารผู้โดยสาร
trapped: to be in a dangerous or unpleasant situation from which it is difficult or impossible to escape - ถูกกับดัก
treatment: a way of behaving towards or dealing with a person or thing - การปฏิบัติ
unattended: without the owner present; not being watched or cared for - ไม่มีใครดูแล, ไม่มีใครเฝ้าดู
unscathed: not harmed or damaged by something bad that has happened - ไม่ได้เสียหาย, ไม่ได้รับบาดเจ็บ
veer: to suddenly move in a different direction - แฉลบ เสียทิศทาง
