A 33-year-old father-to-be died on a Ryanair flight over Italy after suffering a heart attack while his pregnant wife was sitting in a different row of seats at the back of the plane.
Giuseppe Stilo received medical assistance from two trained passengers after falling ill on flight FR8780 from Turin to Lamezia Terme on Wednesday morning.
Despite their efforts, staff were forced to intervene with a defibrillator and began trying to save the Ferrero employee from Filogaso as the plane diverted back to Turin.
Medics rushed aboard full of adrenaline after the plane landed 35 minutes after takeoff, but the man was soon pronounced dead.
Only after returning to Turin did his wife Federica Marella, five months pregnant and sitting separately in the back of the plane, learn of her husband’s death, according to reports Turin today. She was then taken to the nearby Ciriè hospital in a state of shock.
Giuseppe Stilo with his wife Federica, taken to the hospital after the death of her husband
The future father, Giuseppe Stilo, suffered a heart attack yesterday during a flight crossing Italy.
Stilo, who was traveling with his four-month pregnant wife to Calabria, began feeling unwell after leaving Caselle airport in Turin around 11 a.m. yesterday, LaStampa reported. reported.
The plane’s pilot was notified and made the decision to return to the departure airport, turning the plane around less than an hour after the planned flight time of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Two passengers trained as doctors intervened to help Stilo and began resuscitation tasks together with the flight staff.
This included chest compressions and the use of the onboard defibrillator, according to local media.
Doctors waited nearby for the plane to land back in Turin and arrived with adrenaline and another defibrillator, but they declared the man dead after giving him a third shock.
The plane took 36 minutes to make the detour and land back in Turin, Corriere Torino reported.
Mr. Stilo had reportedly recently started a new position as an employee at the Ferrero factory in Alba.
He got married in June last year and lived in Vezza d’Alba with his wife, also originally from Vibo Valentina.
The future father was reportedly an avid traveler who enjoyed taking long walks with his wife and was an altar boy growing up.
Hours after the tragedy, it was revealed that rescue teams had suffered delays of more than ten minutes in accessing the airport gate.
Sagat, Azienda Zero and ASL To4 denied the reports.
The flight was forced to return to Turin, where a doctor and a nurse came on board.
File image of a Ryanair plane. Flight personnel intervened to help the man but were unable to save him.
ASL To4, the local health authority, said in a statement: “There were no delays in the rescue.
“The medical staff on duty in the airport emergency service were preparing on the tarmac to provide help and the 118 operations center, alerted to the situation, sent the basic ambulance from Borgaro Torinese, followed by the vehicle with a doctor and a nurse based in Venaria.’
“It should be noted that the first ambulance with volunteers was waiting at the door and took about 2 minutes to access the airport premises,” the statement continued.
‘Meanwhile, the patient had three doctors with a defibrillator and adrenaline assisting him, while medical team 118 immediately entered.’
Some Italian media also reported that Giuseppe Stilo was 34 and 35 years old.
MailOnline has approached Ryanair for comment.