Five Passengers Fall Ill On Flight From Germany
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Five people became ill on a flight from Germany to O'Hare Airport on Saturday night.
Lufthansa Flight 432, carrying 309 passengers from Frankfurt to Chicago, had already made an emergency stop in London, where a "very sick passenger" who suffered a heart attack was taken to a local hospital, airline spokesman Nils Haupt said.
After the Boeing 747 plane took off to continue to Chicago, five other passengers fell ill, apparently of unrelated illnesses, said Haupt who could not confirm reports of cabin pressure affecting the passengers and didn't know the exact cause of the illnesses.
Three doctors who also happened to be aboard the plane took care of them until the flight could land in Chicago, he said. One of the sickened passengers was treated at the airport, though none were seriously ill. Those passengers were affected by heart related issues.
Chicago Fire Department officials took two people to Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center for treatment for nausea, according to Fire Media Affairs. Both were in good condition.
The exact cause of their illnesses is not yet known Sunday morning, officials said.
The illnesses were not related to the aircraft or airline and the sick passengers will not receive any compensation, Haupt said.
The plane departed to Frankfurt at 12:30 a.m. once the medical box the doctors used was refilled, Haupt said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
