Quirky News
X-ray of tourist spotted on baggage belt
Airport security guards had a shock - when they spotted the x-ray of a tourist sleeping on a moving baggage belt.
A 36-year-old Norwegian tourist reportedly climbed over a check-in desk and fell asleep on the belt that takes luggage to be loaded on to planes.
When the belt started moving, he travelled for around 50m curled up in the foetal position, at Rome's Fiumicino airport.
The un-named man apparently remained asleep after staff spotted him in their x-ray machine, stopped the belt and alerted police.
The tourist, who appeared to have been drinking heavily, will now face charges in relation to the incident according to Italy's La Repubblica newspaper.
The incident has raised questions about security at the airport, but a police spokesperson told the paper that the man could not have got through to secure areas of the airport.
"There is a security system - a sort of roll-up blind - which can only be opened by the member of staff who loads the baggage," the officer said.
"The Norwegian could have carried on going round the main belt but he could never have ended up in sensitive areas of the airport."
Update:
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what do you think?
Rhys Sage
He's drunk... No harm to anybody. Doesn't sound violent or threatening to me. Sounds like security sucked a bit there.
Matthew Stoner
Hahaha!!......"There is a security system, a sort of roll up blind"..............you couldn't make it up...
Graham Barnes
That guy had guts.... I can see them!
movvi
I feel quite sad that only one person in the world is qualified and skilled enough to open the "roll up blind" at this airport. Anyway, the poor bloke was tipsy and looking for a place to have a quiet kip - why prosecute when the airport's own staff says that no breaches could have been made? Bit of a contradiction there!
Nathan Pegg
Pmsl, no sense of humour there! The guy was already going to miss his flight for being drunk, what's the need to take it further? Never needed a kip after you've had a few officer? A lot better than chucking up or picking fights. Or karaoke and pulling fuglies.
Lee Bennett
if it was in this country all they would be interested in would be nicking him for too many duty frees !!
Kevin Jennings
12:34pm on 13/8/2012
Seems to me like if anyone's going to be charged over this, it should be the airport security staff. Isn't it their *job* to stop people from doing just this?