Tragic: Nathania Terry, 32, watched in horror as her five-month-old baby fell onto an airport baggage carousel and was crushed to death in a freak accident

Nathania Terry watched in horror as her baby fell from her arms and was killed in what appears to be a freak accident at the Alicante Airport, minutes after she arrived on vacation. 

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

‘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.

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.

A spokesman said: ‘We are still in the early stages of the investigation and looking at CCTV footage, but it seems that it was an accident.

‘The mother left the baby on the conveyor belt, which can be activated by detecting weight or by an airport employee.

‘It seems that the baby carrier’s weight activated the belt and the child was trapped in the rollers in the drop zone.’

A spokesman at the American embassy in Madrid said: 'The U.S. Embassy in Madrid is aware of the tragic death of a U.S. citizen child in Alicante and is providing appropriate consular assistance.  

'Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment.'

The Canadian Embassy in Madrid would not comment.

Alicante airport is the sixth busiest in Spain based on passenger numbers. It is the main airport for the province, which is a popular summer holiday destination for thousands of Britons, many of whom own homes in the region.

The weather there is still sunny and warm, with temperatures nearing 30C (86F) this week, making it an attractive destination as a cold spell grips northern Europe.

Last month, a two-year-old girl on holiday in the area fell into a swimming pool and drowned as her mother slept in a hammock nearby.

Police said Isabella May Crump was staying at a relative’s villa on the coast with her parents, grandparents and four-year-old brother when the tragedy happened.

Her mother, Deborah Ridgway, 26, woke up to see her daughter’s body floating in the water.

source: dailymail.co.uk