A passenger travelling from New York on Monday passed away after he became ill aboard a Kenya Airways flight to Nairobi.
The death, according to the airline, occurred on Monday. The passenger was discovered “unresponsive and was determined to have passed away” by medical workers at the airport in Casablanca, Morocco, according to a statement from Kenya Airways.
The deceased reportedly had breathing issues and other underlining health issues. He was a 66-year-old man travelling from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, USA, en route to South Africa, via Nairobi.
According to reports, the flight’s medical staff voiced concern that the passenger’s organs would fail quickly. On Monday, the KQ flight was scheduled to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 10:32am. However, because of the incident and subsequent rerouting, the flight arrived in Nairobi a little after 7pm instead.
The man’s family picked him up at the airport and transported him to the Montezuma Monalisa Funeral Home on Mbagathi Way, which is next to the Kenya Defense Forces Memorial Hospital.
The 66-year-old man was living with diabetes and other underlying medical issues, according to the deceased’s brother, who spoke with newsmen.
After it was determined that he had died in Morocco, the body of the deceased was wrapped, packaged, and flown on a KQ aircraft as cargo.