Andrew Carey
TWO men suffered heart attacks with one dying on an Alitalia plane bound for New York when the scheduled flight from Rome was diverted to Shannon Airport this Tuesday evening.
It is understood that Alitalia flight AZ-610 was just over 50 miles off the West Clare coastline when the crew onboard notified air traffic control at Shannon that an emergency had unfolded with two men suffering heart attacks.
An immediate emergency plan was put in place for paramedics and a doctor to be put on stand by for when the plane touched down shortly after 5:30pm.
A man in his 70s was pronounced dead at the scene while the second passenger was taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
The flight left Flumicino airport in Rome shortly after 14:45 local time and had just passed over the south of Ireland bound for JFK international Airport when the medical emergency occurred.
