A British Airways flight attendant died after he collapsed in front of passengers just as the plane was about to take off from London, according to reports.
The 52-year-old crew member perished as the roughly 13-hour flight from London Heathrow to Hong Kong was near departure on New Year’s Eve, the UK Sun reported.
Travelers were reportedly in their seats and the doors were locked when the flight attendant, who was not identified, crumpled to the floor in the back of the plane.
A passenger trained in first aid tried to save the man as the pilot urgently called for medics, but he died at the scene, the Sun reported.
“Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crew, a patient was pronounced dead at the scene,” London Ambulance Service said in a statement to Metro UK.
The flight was delayed until the following day with different pilots and crew in charge, the Sun reported.
“Our thoughts are with our colleagues’ family and friends at this difficult time,” British Airways told the Sun.
It was the second time in December that a British Airways worker died.
Another crew member, also 52, was found dead in his hotel room on Dec. 23 in between flights, per the Sun. The flight from Newark to London was called off as a result, the outlet said.
A source told the outlet crews are “frantic,” considering the two crew members apparently didn’t have underlying health problems.
Both were described as “family men,” by the source, leaving their families “in shock and disbelief.”
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They were probably vaxxed. It’s killing more than the Flu ever really did.