TRAGEDY

11-Year-Old Child Dies on Flight to New York City

The child reportedly lost consciousness while in the air.

An 11-year-old child died onboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to New York City on Sunday, authorities said. The flight crew decided to make an emergency landing in Budapest in an attempt to save her, to no avail. “Despite the rapid and professional intervention, unfortunately her life could not be saved,” a spokesperson for the Budapest International Airport said in a statement to The Daily Beast. “The aircraft continued its journey to its original destination.” According to a translated broadcast from Hungarian TV news station RTL, the girl, who lives in New York, “has been ill since birth and has been unable to move. Everything was fine with her upon boarding, but after takeoff she gradually became deprived of oxygen and lost consciousness.” With the help of a doctor on the flight, the staff reportedly tried to “revive her for 40 minutes” before deciding to land in Budapest. Initial reports appeared to incorrectly say the child was a boy.