Boy rescued at Taoyuan Airport after jumping into safety net, getting stuck

Taipei, March 25 (CNA) A 7-year-old boy had to be rescued by firefighters at Taoyuan International Airport on Wednesday after jumping into anti-fall netting to play and then getting stuck, the airport's operator said.

A person who witnessed the incident told CNA that at 12:52 p.m., an unaccompanied child in the Terminal 2 arrivals hall climbed up on a trash can and then began crossing a guardrail above an escalator wellway.

As several bystanders rushed over to try and stop him, the boy, ignoring their pleas, jumped into the anti-fall netting in the wellway, and began "happily" jumping and bouncing around, the person said.

Soon after, however, the boy apparently became unable to climb out of the netting, the witness said.

In a statement later that afternoon, Taoyuan International Airport Corp. (TIAC) confirmed the incident, saying airport security guards had immediately notified the fire department.

When the firefighters arrived, one of them rappelled down into the wellway and pulled the child out at 1:22 p.m., the statement said.

After determining the child had not been injured and having police speak with his parents, the family was allowed to go on their way, the TIAC said.

The TIAC reminded parents and travelers to remain aware of their children's whereabouts in busy airport terminals, and, for their own safety, not to let them climb things.

Taoyuan Airport's Terminal 2 arrivals hall is on the ground floor, but has escalators leading down to B1 and B2 levels below it.