Jamaican woman dies on BA flight
A British Airways flight that left Kingston Friday night had to be diverted to the Canadian city of St John’s, Newfoundland when a Jamaican became ill and died, a BA spokesperson in Kingston confirmed yesterday.
The name and address of the 33-year-old woman was being withheld yesterday to ensure that her family was properly informed of the incident.
Jamaican police last night said they had heard of the incident, but had no further information.
According to the BA spokesperson, the woman became seriously ill half way through the eight-hour flight that was heading for London’s Gatwick airport when a medical emergency was declared.
“The plane diverted to the nearest airport, St John’s in Newfoundland,” the spokesperson said.
However, doctors who boarded the plane when it landed pronounced the woman dead.
BA officials last night declined to speculate on the cause of death, saying that they were awaiting the result of an autopsy, apparently to be done at a hospital in St John’s.
“Until then, it is impossible to speculate about the cause of the woman’s death,” the spokesperson said.
The result would soon be known, she said.
The plane, loaded with mainly Jamaican and English tourists, stayed four hours on the ground in St John’s before setting off for Ireland’s Shannon airport, where the crew changed for the onward journey to London.