Fly Jamaica 'investigating' after passenger on crash-landed flight to Toronto dies days later
An airline says it is "investigating" what led to the death of an elderly passenger in the days after the crash landing of a flight she was aboard from Guyana to Toronto.
A spokesperson for Fly Jamaica said in a Saturday statement that the airline is "deeply saddened" to learn of Rookia Kalloo's passing in a Georgetown, Guyana, hospital. According to local media in Guyana, Kalloo was 86.
She was among 128 people aboard Flight OJ256 when it overshot the runway at Cheddi Jagan airport, near the Guyanese capital of Georgetown, on Nov. 9.
The Boeing 757 was on its way to Pearson airport when problems with its hydraulic systems forced the pilot to turn around about 20 minutes after takeoff.
Her daughter reportedly told Stabroek News, a newspaper in Guyana, that Kalloo was behaving oddly in the days that followed, though she had no obvious physical malady. According to the newspaper, she was admitted to hospital on Monday after her symptoms worsened, where her family was told she had suffered a head injury.
She died Friday morning, the newspaper reported.
Stabroek News and other local media said Kalloo passed away at Georgetown Public Hospital. However a representative of the hospital told CBC News on Saturday that it had no record of Kalloo as a patient there.
Six other people were hurt in the crash landing and were transported to hospital in the immediate aftermath. Airport officials said at the time that the injuries were minor.
In its statement, Fly Jamaica said it has seen no record that Kalloo was treated in hospital "for any injuries as a result of the accident.
"We are investigating the position further and lending all possible assistance and support to Mrs. Kalloo's relatives as they come to terms with their loss," the statement added.
It did not specify what measures the airline is taking as part of its probe in Kalloo's death.
Other passengers aboard the flight returned to Toronto on Friday morning. Some slammed Fly Jamaica for what they said was a lack of communication following the crash landing. Others alleged that valuable belongings they left behind on the plane after evacuating, such as jewellery, cash and electronics, were unaccounted for.
The Kingston, Jamaica-based airline said in a previous statement earlier this week that local firefighters who responded to the crash site were being investigated for alleged thefts of the missing goods.
