31 December 2024 , 15:18
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A flight attendant has died after a Swiss International airplane was forced to make an emergency landing in Austria due to problems with its engine.
Chaos engulfed the Airbus A220-300 as smoke started to pour inside the cabin after departing from Bucharest, Romania.
Pilots had to divert the aircraft, which was due to land in Zurich, to the city of Graz.
All 74 passengers and crew members were quickly evacuated off the jet on the tarmac.
At least a dozen people on board needed medical care, with some being taken to hospital.
A member of the Swiss cabin crew was rushed to hospital and put into intensive care.
The young man, whose identity has not been released by Swiss, died on Monday, a week on after the incident on December 23.
Jens Fehlinger, CEO of the airline, paid tribute to their ‘beloved’ colleague, saying: ‘We are all deeply shocked by his death.
‘The news leaves us deeply saddened and stunned. Our thoughts are with the young man’s relatives, whose pain must be boundless.’
Swiss said it was not providing further details about the late crew member or the cause of death out of consideration for his grieving relatives.
Initial investigations into the incident suggested that the jet experienced a technical defect in one of the engines.
This caused the cabin and cockpit to fill up with smoke.