A China-bound Iraqi Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport late on Wednesday after a teenage passenger suffered a medical emergency mid-flight.
The 16-year-old Iraqi girl, Deran Samir Ahmed, was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after the aircraft landed.
Flight IA-473, en route from Baghdad to Guangzhou, was carrying 100 passengers and 15 crew members when the incident occurred.
According to an Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson, the plane made an emergency landing at 10:18 pm, following the teenager’s sudden illness about 30 minutes before touchdown.
Upon landing, a medical team was on standby to attend to the passenger.
"The airport health officer (APHO) checked the passenger and found no pulse or heartbeat," said the AAI official.
Despite immediate efforts, the medical team declared the situation critical and referred her to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.
The girl, who was a resident of Baghdad’s Sar Chinar police station area, was offloaded along with two co-passengers, presumed to be her family members, at around 1:18 am.
They were transported to Charnock Hospital by an AAI ambulance. Ipsita Kundu, CEO of Charnock Hospital, confirmed that "the patient was declared brought dead on arrival."
The incident has led to an investigation by local authorities. Baguiati police have registered a case of unnatural death based on the doctor’s report.
“The body has been taken for a post-mortem examination, and we are coordinating with the Iraqi Embassy in Delhi,” said a police source.
Communication with the teenager’s relatives, who were travelling with her, proved difficult as they could not speak English, adding a layer of complexity to the situation, officials noted.
After the formalities were completed, the flight resumed its journey to Guangzhou, departing Kolkata at 1:49 am with the remaining passengers on board.
The body will be handed over to the family after the necessary paperwork is completed.
The NSCBI police station is coordinating the release, ensuring that her parents can take the body back to Iraq as soon as possible, according to police sources.
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