4-month-old dies on board flight from Surat to Mumbai

An infant girl died on board a SpiceJet Surat-Mumbai flight on Friday. A post-mortem investigation could not establish the cause of death and samples of body tissues

An infant girl died on board a SpiceJet Surat-Mumbai flight on Friday. A post-mortem investigation could not establish the cause of death and samples of body tissues have been sent to Sir JJ Hospital.

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Riya, the four-month old child, who was with her mother, Preeti Jindal, and grandparents, may have lost consciousness on board without her family realising it, according to airline sources.

According to airport sources, Riya and her mother were taken to the airport medical room.

“The infant did not respond to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), after which she was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where she was declared dead,” said an airport official. The child was taken to Nanavati Hospital where she was declared dead before admission. Officials from the hospital refused to comment.

SG2673 departed from Jaipur at 5.45am and landed at Surat at 7.25am. It then took off at 7.50am to land in Mumbai at 8.50am. The family boarded the flight from Surat.

Sources in the airline said, “The mother told doctors that she had fed her daughter around 5.30am, after which the baby went to sleep. The family noticed there was no movement from the child on board, but did not report it to the crew, assuming the child was asleep.”

As the aircraft was taxiing after landing in Mumbai, the family realising that the child was still unresponsive, reported it to the crew, after which emergency medical assistance was requested.

A SpiceJet spokesperson said in a statement: “On November 15, 2019, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft operated flight SG-2763 (Surat-Mumbai). After landing, a passenger informed the crew that her daughter (infant) is unconscious. ATC requested medical assistance, while the aircraft was taxing to the parking bay. The infant was deplaned along with her mother and grandparents, and taken to hospital.”

Sources said the infant was taken to Dr  RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital for a post-mortem, which could not establish the cause of death. “An accidental death report (ADR) was registered, after which the infant was taken to Cooper hospital for a post-mortem. As the cause of death was found to be unknown, the samples were sent to JJ hospital for further investigation.”

In the medical papers at Dr RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital, the family lists Kopri, Thane, as their address.