Rest in peace

Teenager dies aboard Delta
flight soon after takeoff from
A Delta Airlines flight from Seattle to Atlanta was
rerouted to Spokane International Airport in
Washington state shortly after takeoff on Saturday due
to a medical emergency that left a 16-year-old male
passenger dead, officials said. Spokane International officials stated that the teenager
"regretfully died" shortly after Delta Flight 128 took off,
bound for Atlanta. Pilots diverted to Spokane, the
closest airport, upon learning of the emergency. The cause of death was not immediately known. Local
authorities and a medical examiner were summoned to
the airport, NBC affiliate KHQ reported. The teenager was not immediately identified, but the Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Spokane Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer as saying that he
was originally from the Atlanta metro area and was
accompanying an unspecified number of family
members to visit relatives in Georgia for Christmas. His
father is in the military and is stationed in Washington,
Schaeffer told the newspaper. The newspaper quoted Joe Ryan, a passenger aboard
the plane, as saying that the medical emergency
occurred shortly after takeoff. “The plane never really got too high,” he said. “The
pilot all of the sudden got on the intercom and said
there was a passenger in dire need (of medical
attention).” Ryan said the teen and what he believed to be the
teen’s family members were seated somewhere in the
plane behind him. The teen was taken to the rear of the
jet where flight attendants and possibly others
attempted lifesaving measures, Ryan said. The remaining 258 passengers were removed from the
plane and have boarded others, continuing to their
destination, officials said. Delta representatives did not release the name of the
teenager and did not say if attempts to revive the boy
continued after the plane landed.