A woman in her 40s was killed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Thursday (August 8) morning. The Chicago Fire Department responded to Terminal 5, which serves several international carriers, around 8 a.m. after receiving a report that a woman was trapped in a piece of machinery.
When firefighters arrived, they found the woman "entangled" in the conveyor belt system used to move luggage throughout the terminal. She was "unresponsive" and pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Officials did not release the identity of the woman.
According to ABC News, the Department of Labor said the woman was not an airport employee. It is unclear how she ended up in an area that is off-limits to members of the public.
Fire department spokesman Larry Langford told the Chicago Tribune that the area has been cordoned off and is considered a crime scene. The Chicago Police Department has launched an investigation into the woman's death.
Investigators are awaiting the results of the autopsy to determine how she died. Those results are expected by Saturday.