Mumbai: 80-year-old collapses, dies as he walks to terminal due to lack of wheelchair at airport

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An 80-year-old man reportedly collapsed and died of a heart attack at the Mumbai international airport while proceeding to clear immigration on foot allegedly due to a lack of wheelchair support, police said on Friday.

An octogenarian Air India passenger, who had requested for a wheelchair at the Mumbai airport but decided to walk as he was asked to wait due to heavy demand for wheelchair, died after collapsing at the time of immigration process, reported the PTI.

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According to the PTI, the incident happened at the airport on February 12 after the passenger landed in an Air India flight from New York.
An airline spokesperson on Friday said the passenger was more than 80 years old.

In a statement on Friday, Air India said that due to heavy demand for wheelchair, it had requested the passenger to wait for an airline staff-assisted wheelchair but he opted to walk along with his spouse, as per the PTI.

"In an unfortunate incident, one of our guests flying from New York to Mumbai on February 12, fell ill while proceeding to clear immigration with his wife, who was on wheelchair," the airline said, the news agency reported on Friday.

As advised by the airport doctor attending to him after taking ill, the airline said the passenger was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared to have passed away.

According to Air India, it is in constant touch with the family members of the bereaved, extending necessary assistance, and added that it has a clearly laid down policy to offer wheelchair assistance to all passengers who pre-book the same, a PTI report stated.

An official of Mumbai airport operator MIAL said wheelchair assistance is purely a service given by the airline.

At the terminal, the wheelchair inventory and manpower assistance is also managed by the respective airline ground handling. The airport operator only helps coordinating with the airline in case any passenger requires help, the official added, according to the PTI.

There was no official comment from MIAL on the incident.

According to the police, the man was then taken to the nearby Nanavati Hospital, where the doctor declared him dead. The deceased was of Indian origin and had an American passport, the ANI reported.

Sahar Police Station of Mumbai has registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in the matter and are further investigation the matter, the police said, as per the ANI.

(with PTI and ANI inputs)