Amid COVID-19 scare, Indian man being evacuated from Lagos to Mumbai dies during flight -

Air India has denied that a passenger aboard its flight from Lagos to Mumbai died onboard after a fever.

The 42-year-old man had collapsed and died onboard the evacuation flight on Saturday, June 13, after allegedly displaying signs of a fever, raising several questions on the checks and thermal screening being conducted at airports amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The man was said to have started shivering during the flight and upon enquiry said he had malaria.

It was further reported that the man started complaining of difficulty in breathing, causing flight crew to provide him with oxygen.

However, the passenger reportedly collapsed shortly after bleeding from the nose and was confirmed dead aboard the flight by medical personnel.

But Air India denied that the man had a fever, saying, “Our Lagos medical screening team would have detected the same.”

“A passenger aboard AI1906 of June 13, 2020, from Lagos to Mumbai passed away due to natural causes today.

“A doctor on board along with our crew, who are trained to handle such medical emergencies, made a valiant attempt to revive the passenger, aged 42, who had suddenly collapsed, through resuscitation, but all their efforts went in vain. He was declared dead on board by the attending doctor.

“The MIAL doctors attended to the passenger after the flight landed and after all the procedures were complete, the body was sent to a hospital as per protocol. Relatives of the deceased were informed and aircraft taken for full fumigation in line with prescribed norms,” Air India’s statement read.