Elderly woman suffers heart attack during flight, forces airplane to return to NAIA

MANILA, Philippines—A Japan-bound airplane was forced to return to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Wednesday morning after one of its passengers reportedly suffered a heart attack.

The Boeing 747 plane of Delta Airlines flight DL 630 took off from NAIA past 6 a.m. and was heading to Japan when passenger Petra Dularte Garcia, 82, fell sick, prompting the pilot to return to the Manila airport.

According to a report from the medical department of the NAIA Terminal 1, they responded to a “sick call” at Gate 10 due to an alleged heart attack of one of the passengers on board a return flight of Delta Airlines around 8:16 a.m.

According to Dr. Cesar Ocampo, the medical officer on duty, Garcia experienced high blood pressure five minutes after take-off. She requested for and was given medicine by the flight crew.

However, 30 minutes onto the flight, Garcia developed epigastric pain, then went into cardiac arrest.

Doctors on board immediately responded to check on Garcia’s condition and administered CPR on her.

Garcia was also given oxygen and medicines through IV, Ocampo added.

The plane was given a priority landing status at the NAIA right away. Garcia, who fell unconscious, was wheeled off the aircraft and onto a waiting ambulance that took her to the Makati Medical Center.