SIA refused to divert flight, claims man who had heart attack

SINGAPORE - A passenger has accused Singapore Airlines of leaving him with long-term heart damage after he had to endure a 14-hour flight while suffering a cardiac arrest.

The British newspaper Daily Mail reported yesterday that Mr Max Pearson, an award-winning BBC World Service journalist, was flying home to London - after completing an assignment on the Japan disaster last month - when he suffered a heart attack shortly after the Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight took off.

Mr Pearson, 51, was on board a connecting flight from Singapore to London, having flown in from Tokyo.

Quoting an unnamed BBC source, the report alleged that the cabin crew refused requests to divert the plane to the nearest hospital for him to receive medical attention.

The source added it appeared that a passenger who was a doctor attended to Mr Pearson during the flight. Mr Pearson was eventually rushed by ambulance to hospital as soon as the plane touched down at Heathrow Airport.

When contacted by MediaCorp yesterday, an SIA spokesman said the airline was not able to comment on individual cases.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

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