A Sri Lankan woman, aged 81, passed away after a health emergency caused a Qatar Airways flight to make an emergency landing at Erbil International Airport in Iraq on Wednesday, foreign media reported.
According to Sri Lanka’s honorary consul in Erbil, Ahmed Jalal, the flight was en route from Doha to Paris when the incident occurred. The pilot contacted authorities at Erbil airport, requesting an emergency landing, which took place at 5:40 PM. Medical teams were on standby but were unable to save the woman, who died onboard.
The woman, a resident of France, was later identified by her son, a French citizen. He has requested Kurdish authorities to assist in transporting her body to Paris.
“This is the first time such a case has happened,” Jalal commented.
The airline, Qatar Airways, has not yet provided a statement on the incident.
