Tragedy as man suddenly dies in front of horrified passengers on flight bound for Liverpool

The man is reported to have suffered a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead, despite the best efforts of passengers and crew to resuscitate him

A Jet2 flight to the UK was forced to suddenly divert to Cologne after a man died on board.

The flight LS3214 left from Burgas, Bulgaria, to Liverpool around 1pm local time (12pm BST) on Monday September 16 before the crew declared an emergency approximately two hours in. A medical team then raced onto the plane once it had landed in a remote part of the runway at Cologne.

The man is reported to have suffered a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead, despite the best efforts of passengers and crew to resuscitate him. Passengers boarded a return flight later that evening.

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Online flight tracking data showed the Jet2 LS3214 flight on diversion to Cologne, before it landed on runway 8 around 3.32 pm local time (2.32 pm GMT). After several hours at the airport, the plane eventually set off for Liverpool John Lennon at 9.17 pm GMT, and landed in the UK at 10.27 pm.

A Jet2.com spokesperson said: "We can confirm that flight LS3214 from Bourgas to Liverpool John Lennon diverted to Cologne on Monday 16th September, due to a customer requiring medical assistance. Regrettably, we can confirm that the customer sadly passed away. We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the customer's family and friends at this very difficult time."

In June, another Jet2 flight saw a tragedy unfold when a football legend's wife died on the way home from Tenerife. Rosemary Burns, widow of former Celtic player Tommy Burns, passed away on the flight to Glasgow.

The plane made an emergency landing in Cork after declaring an on-board incident. Mrs Burns had started to feel unwell while on holiday in the Canary Islands, and boarded an earlier flight home. In response to the sad news, a tribute from a Celtic fan on social media wrote: "Extremely sad news to hear Rosemary Burns has passed away. My thoughts and prayers are with the Burns family and their friends. Now at peace with Tommy."

Another said: "It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we extend our sincere condolences to the Burns family on the passing of Rosemary. The beloved wife of legend Tommy Burns. She was a remarkable woman whose warmth and kindness touched the lives of many Celtic fans."

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