A plane belonging to a private Indian airline was forced to detour and make an emergency landing in Pakistan after one of its passengers, a yet unnamed Nigerian died, on the flight.
The incident happened on board an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Doha early today Monday.
The plane turned to Karachi after the pilot reported that a Nigerian passenger “was not breathing and had no pulse”, the city’s airport said.
There are no direct flights between India and Pakistan.
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The two countries share a fraught relationship – the neighbours have fought three wars since 1947, when India was partitioned on independence and Pakistan was created.
In July 2019 Pakistan fully reopened its airspace to civilian flights, five months after it was closed following a standoff with India.
The IndiGo flight with 163 passengers landed at the Jinnah Terminal International Airport in Karachi around midnight on Monday.
Civil Aviation Authority Pakistan said the 60-year-old man felt unwell mid-journey, after which the captain of the plane contacted the Karachi air traffic control and requested for a doctor and an ambulance.
But upon examination, the passenger was declared dead by the airport’s medical team.
The plane departed for its destination four hours later.
In a statement released on Monday, IndiGo said it was “deeply saddened” by the death of the passenger.
“Our prayers and wishes are with his family and loved ones,” the airline added.
