NICE, France – A British Airways flight from London to Nice took a tragic turn when a 73-year-old woman, initially mistaken for a sleeping passenger, was discovered dead upon landing. The woman’s death, suspected to be a heart attack, was confirmed after the flight crew’s unsuccessful attempts to rouse her and subsequent emergency medical intervention.
The incident unfolded on Thursday, September 21, as passengers began to disembark the plane. The elderly woman’s continued stillness raised concerns among her fellow travelers, who alerted the flight crew. Despite immediate contact with emergency services and attempts at resuscitation by paramedics, the woman was declared dead at 10 p.m., as reported by the French news outlet, The Connexion.
The woman’s identity remains undisclosed. British Airways, in a statement to the Daily Mail, confirmed the unfortunate incident, expressing their condolences over the passenger’s demise. The cause of death, though suspected to be a heart attack, has not been officially confirmed.
This incident echoes a similar event in June when a British man succumbed to a fatal asthma attack on a flight from London to New York. Identified as 25-year-old Shimoin Brauer, the man lost consciousness after misplacing his inhaler approximately 45 minutes before landing. Despite the crew’s efforts to administer oxygen and perform CPR, they were unable to revive him.
These incidents underscore the potential risks and challenges of managing medical emergencies mid-flight, where immediate professional medical help is not readily available. While airlines have protocols in place for such situations, these events highlight the need for further enhancement of in-flight medical emergency response capabilities. They also raise questions about the necessity for more comprehensive pre-flight health screenings for passengers, especially those with known health conditions.