CHENNAI: A 52-year-old passenger collapsed and passed away while waiting in line at the immigration checkpoint at Chennai airport on Friday.

The incident occurred late last night as passengers of an AirAsia flight to Bangkok were undergoing immigration checks at the airport. The flight was scheduled to leave at 11.30 pm from Chennai.

Arputha Sagayaraj (52), a resident of Ooty in the Nilgiris district, had arrived at the airport with his family ahead of their vacation to Thailand. While waiting in line for immigration clearance, Sagayaraj suddenly collapsed. His family immediately rushed him to the hospital at the airport, where doctors declared him dead.

Preliminary medical examinations revealed that he had suffered a massive heart attack.

Following Sagayaraj's death, the travel plans of his three family members were cancelled. Meanwhile, the AirAsia flight, delayed by an hour due to the emergency, eventually departed for Bangkok at 12.30 am.

Chennai police took possession of Sagayaraj's body, and sent it to the Chromepet Government Hospital for a postmortem examination.

A case has been registered, and further investigations are under way.