CHENNAI: A 66-year-old man died of a sudden cardiac arrest on the Malaysian Airlines flight on Sunday midnight.
The deceased was Meenatchisundaram Ramasamy (66) of Tirupattur in Sivaganga district. He was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Chennai after visiting his daughter in Malaysia.
Airport officials said the flight, carrying 242 passengers, was preparing to land in Chennai when Ramasamy suddenly experienced breathing difficulties mid-flight. The cabin crew immediately alerted the pilot, who, in turn, informed air traffic control and requested a priority landing, with medical assistance on standby.
The flight was granted priority clearance and landed about 10 minutes ahead of its scheduled time. The medical team boarded the aircraft immediately upon arrival, administered first aid and rushed Ramasamy to the airport hospital. However, Ramasamy died on the way to the hospital.
The Airport police who visited the spot sent the body to the Tambaram Government Hospital for post-mortem examination. Authorities have informed his family members in Sivaganga.
Police said that Ramasamy had recently undergone a hernia surgery while staying with his daughter in Malaysia and was returning to his hometown when the incident occurred.