An eight-year-old girl who was traveling with her parents on a SkyWest Airlines flight to Chicago died suddenly after becoming unresponsive.
Despite “aggressive resuscitative efforts” by medical staff to save the girl’s life, she was pronounced dead upon landing.
Sydney Weston was lying with her family from Joplin when she suffered a medical emergency, forcing the flight to reroute to Peoria, Illinois.
Flight personnel began “rapidly rendering aid” to the girls, according to Peoria County Coroner’s Office.
The plane made an emergency landing at General Wayne A Downing Peoria International Airport at 7.02am on Thursday.
Medical staff began performing “life-saving measures” upon landing, according to a statement from the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office.
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“Upon landing in Peoria, she was not breathing and had no pulse,” the coroner’s office said.
“Despite aggressive resuscitative efforts, she was pronounced deceased at 8:05 am this morning,” the coroner’s office said in its statement.
“We appreciate the efforts of our crewmembers who responded quickly to assist and the medical personnel who met the aircraft,” a SkyWest spokesperson told the New York Post.
The autopsy has been scheduled for Friday, and findings will be released upon completion, the coroner’s office said.
“Please keep the child’s family and everyone who was involved in this traumatic experience in your thoughts and prayers,” the sheriff’s office said.
The girl’s death comes just days after another American died mid-flight.
On Saturday, Raiznal Farzad Khalik, 41, “encountered a medical condition” during a flight to San Francisco onboard a Fiji Airways flight from Nadi, Fiji.
Khalik was pronounced dead by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office.
“Despite the best efforts of our cabin crew and a doctor on board who provided immediate assistance, the passenger unfortunately passed away,” Fiji Airways said in a statement.
The airline added, “We commend our cabin crew and the assisting doctor for their swift and professional response to this emergency.”
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