Emergency landing of Turkish Airlines flight in Chennai fails to save newborn

CHENNAI: A 26-year-old Malaysian woman who was delivered of a stillborn child on board a Turkish Airlines Boeing when it was flying over Chennai on Thursday afternoon is now recuperating in a hospital after the plane made an emergency landing and she was allowed to enter the city on a temporary visa while the flight left for Kuala Lumpur with the remains of the baby.

The Malaysian national was travelling back home from Istanbul by the Turkish Airlines flight (TK60), along with her husband, when she developed labour pains mid-air, impelling the pilot to seek permission to land in Chennai for medical help. As the control room gave the necessary permission after consulting the New Delhi office, the plane landed at the international airport at around 1.50 pm.

The waiting airport medical team rushed to the aircraft that was parked at Bay 43 with the full complement of 326 passengers inside and checked on the woman, who was found to be needing medical assistance though the premature baby was not breathing.

Immigration officials issued emergency visas to the woman and her husband but did not allow the body of the baby to be taken out of the aircraft, which left at around 4.30 pm with the remaining 324 passengers to Kuala Lumpur.

The woman was rushed to a woman’s medical facility of the Apollo Hospitals for post-delivery treatment and the husband was allowed to remain in the city and take care of her.