South Korean Co-Pilot Rushed To The Hospital, Leaving Plane On The Tarmac

The co-pilot of an Eastar Boeing 737-800 preparing for departure from Phuket International Airport suffered a heart attack in the cockpit Friday and died later morning.

The U.K. newspaper The Daily Mail reports that pilot was identified by Thai media as 41-year-old Lim Hyn Soo from south Korea. He said he was having problems breathing, and was sent to Thalang hospital in Phuket. EMTs administered CPR en route to the hospital, where he arrived at about 0400 local time. He reportedly passed away at 0820.

The airline cancelled the flight, and the 186 passengers were taken to a hotel while a new flight was arranged.

Lt Suporn Muangkai of the Thalang Police told the Phuket Gazette that the pilot's co-workers said they were "conducting pre-flight checks at about 1am when Mr Lim complained of breathing difficulties and was rushed to hospital. We found no signs of struggle on his body. At this stage, we believe that he might have had a heart attack, but we are still waiting for doctors to confirm the cause of death."

(Image from file)

FMI: www.eastarjet.com