A Sri Lankan woman with health issues prompted an emergency landing at Erbil International Airport on Wednesday, but she passed away hours later in the Kurdish capital, according to Sri Lanka’s honorary consul.
Ahmed Jalal, the honorary consul in Erbil, stated that the woman was aboard a Qatar Airways flight traveling from Doha to Paris when the emergency occurred.
The pilot contacted Erbil airport, requesting an emergency landing, and the plane arrived at 5:40 p.m. Medical teams provided immediate assistance, but the 81-year-old woman died onboard.
The woman had been living in France, and the Sri Lankan consulate has reached out to her son, a French citizen, who has requested Kurdish authorities to help transport her body to Paris.
Jalal noted that this is the first incident of its kind in Erbil. Qatar Airways, the airline involved, has yet to comment on the matter.
