Last Updated on November 4, 2020, 1:43 AM AST by Anthony Morris
A Trinidad and Tobago national died on board a Caribbean Airlines repatriation flight while en route to the Piarco International Airport on Saturday.
Flight 3525, which took off from JFK International Airport at 7:20 pm on Saturday was scheduled to arrive in Trinidad before midnight.
However, passengers on board the flight said that the aircraft was redirected to Puerto Rico at around 11:20 pm as an elderly male could not be resuscitated and fell unconscious.
The patient was on the flight with his son. After indicating his illness, the patient was placed on the aisle as flight attendants asked for a nurse or a doctor’s assistance.
A nurse on board tried to resuscitate the man but was unsuccessful. Passengers believe that the Trinidad national had passed away already.
After pleas from the son of the patient, the flight was landed in Puerto Rico and waited for assistance from professionals.
Emergency responders and Paramedics boarded the aircraft, but they could not provide assistance until the District Medical Officer arrived at 1 am.
After the arrival of the District Medical Officer, the patient was declared dead.
The son of the deceased was in a state of shock.
In one of the voice recordings from onboard the aircraft, an anguished man is heard asking the flight crew that why no medical aid was being given to the sick passenger.
Forty-five minutes later, people on board the flight were asked to disembark the flight and await further instructions.
Shortly after 5 am, passengers were told that the crew of the aircraft needed to be replenished.
Around 100 nationals on board, the vessel were kept in the San Juan Airport Hotel.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
