China-bound Iraqi Airways Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Kolkata as Girl Collapses in Plane, Dies

Kolkata: A China-bound Iraqi Airways flight made a medical emergency landing at Kolkata's Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday night after a passenger fell ill, said officials. The passenger, a 16-year-old Iraqi girl, was declared "brought dead" when she was taken to a hospital in the city.

The flight IA-473 from Baghdad to Guangzhou in China, carrying 100 passengers and 15 crew members, made a diversion from its course and landed at Kolkata airport at 10:18 pm on Wednesday night.

According to an Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson, a medical team present at the airport immediately attended to the passenger, Deran Samir Ahmed, the spokesperson said.

The Iraqi teenager had suddenly fallen ill inside the aircraft about 30 minutes before it touched down at the Kolkata airport .

The airport health officer (APHO) checked the passenger and found no pulse. Neither did the doctor find any heartbeat. The doctor referred the passenger to the nearest hospital for further evaluation.

At about 1.18 am on Thursday, the teenager and her two co-passengers were offloaded after completion of formalities. They were taken to a private hospital by an AAI ambulance.

The hospital said the passenger was brought dead, the AAI official added.

According to the hospital, the girl was a resident of Sar Chinar police station area in Baghdad district of Iraq. The flight departed for its destination with the rest of the passengers at 1.49 am on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Baguiati police have started a case of unnatural death (UD) on the basis of information provided by the doctor on duty at the hospital.

The CEO of Charnock Hospital, Ipsita Kundu, said officers from Baguiati police station took the body from the hospital later in the day for necessary action, including a postmortem examination.

Police sources said the Iraqi girl’s body will be handed over to the family after formalities are completed. The NSCBI police station will provide the NOC following which her parents will be able to take the body back home, they said.

Airport officials said the Iraq Embassy in Delhi will also be contacted by the police. It was difficult to communicate with her relatives, who were travelling with the girl, since they could not speak in English, the officials said.

(With PTI inputs)