Campden Park man dies on board LIAT flight from Trinidad

A man, said to be a resident of Campden Park, died on Wednesday evening on board a LIAT flight from Trinidad.{{more}}

When LI 726 arrived at the E.T. Joshua airport shortly after 6 p.m., it was discovered that one of the passengers, who was supposed to disembark in St Vincent, was not responding.

Passengers who were supposed to continue with the flight to Barbados were asked to disembark and were informed that they would have rebook their flights to leave Thursday.

About half an hour after the flight landed, an ambulance arrived, but left the scene without a patient. Shortly after, a vehicle from a local funeral home arrived. It pulled up alongside the LIAT aircraft parked on the tarmac. Members of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the police force also arrived on the scene and boarded the aircraft. Almost an hour after the flight had landed, the body was lifted out the plane and placed the funeral home vehicle.

Desmond Browne, LIAT Corporate Communications Specialist, in a release issued yesterday confirmed the death of a male passenger on one of its aircraft.

“On arrival at the E.T. Joshua Airport it was observed that passenger was not responding. The Emergency Medical Services were called and after a medical examination the passenger was pronounced dead by local medical authorities.”

Brown said the authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the cause of death, and extended condolences on behalf of LIAT management to the family and friends of the deceased.

SEARCHLIGHT spoke with some of the affected passengers, who said they were upset at having to go through the rebooking process.

Some of the non-Vincentians questioned where they would stay for the extra night. Another concern was if there would be an additional cost to rebook their flights.

Passengers were heading to various destinations including Barbados, Antigua, St Kitts and as far as England.

One individual, Vere Galloway, Manager of ZIZ Broadcasting, St Kitts, said he was heading home after a trip to Trinidad.

In the release issued yesterday, LIAT said the affected passengers were accommodated on other LIAT services.