Pregnant passenger unaware emergency landing was due to husband's sudden death
A pregnant passenger only discovered the devastating news of her husband’s death after their plane made an emergency landing.
According to Italian newspaper La Stampa, on Wednesday, April 17, Giuseppe Stilo, 34, and his wife Federica Marella, who’s five months pregnant, were travelling together from Turin, Italy, to Lamezia. The couple was seated separately.
At 11 am, Ryanair flight FR8780 took off from Turin Airport and headed towards Lamezia Terme International Airport. However, shortly after taking off, Stilo began to feel unwell, prompting the pilot to return to Turin Airport.
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Two doctors onboard who attempted to resuscitate Stilo applied cardiac massage and used the onboard defibrillator. Once the plane landed at around 11:30 am, it was met by the airport ambulance and medical staff. According to The Standard, doctors used adrenaline and another defibrillator to resuscitate Stilo.
“Doctor and nurses immediately boarded the plane and provided aid to the passenger who unfortunately died,” reads a release from Sagat, the company that manages Turin Airport.
La Stampa alleges that Marella, seated in the back of the plane, texted relatives, telling them that their plane had made an emergency landing due to a passenger who had fallen ill. She only found out about her husband’s death after landing. According to Torino Today, Marella was taken to a nearby hospital in a state of shock.
Rescuers claimed they were delayed by over ten minutes as they tried to access the airport gate. They alleged that they repeatedly asked for the gate to be opened and eventually asked for the person in charge to intervene.
However, the local health authority ASL To4 stated, “There was no delay in the rescue.”
The couple, who married in June last year, lived in Vezza d’Alba. The father-to-be had just started a new position at the Ferrero factory in Alba. According to local media reports, Stilo enjoyed long walks and travelling.
The Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a case, and an autopsy has been ordered.
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