An off-duty paramedic at a stag party has described helping to save a plane passenger who attempted suicide on a Bangkok-Heathrow flight.
Gareth Lines, 36, from Portsmouth, intervened when the stricken man was found in the toilet of the EVA Air plane from Thailand to London.
He was alerted by hearing a commotion at the rear of the plane and initially thought someone had collapsed, before quickly realizing the situation was more serious.
The plane was forced to make a quick landing at Heathrow after an alert was raised over the passenger found in the cabin toilet.
Now Mr Lines has revealed new details about the scare and how he helped, using his training to administer CPR.
Off-duty paramedic Gareth Lines, 36, from Portsmouth, told of helping to save a passenger
It came after a traveler feared he might attempt suicide was found in a plane toilet.
Flight BR67 from Bangkok to London Heathrow had begun its descent when flight attendants noticed someone was occupying one of the toilets.
A male passenger was found in serious distress and had suffered injuries which prompted cabin crew and a flight doctor to provide immediate first aid.
The individual, whose identity has not been released, was stabilized and rushed to hospital upon landing.
Plane tracking site FlightAware said the plane landed at Heathrow at 7.03pm last Friday, 17 minutes ahead of schedule.
Mr Lines believes the incident highlights the importance of people knowing first aid.
He recalls: “I just thought, ‘What’s going on?’ It looked like someone had collapsed in the back of the plane, but it turned out to be worse than I thought and their heart stopped.
“This gentleman had attempted to end his life and the plane crew and I dragged him into the kitchen.”
Mr Lines was on a stag do before taking the flight home on the EVA Air BR67 plane, where the emergency occurred 30 minutes before the scheduled landing.
He said the plane had basic equipment on board, including an automatic defibrillator, and he asked the crew to get him oxygen.
He said: “Without medicines there is not much more we could do. The man was in cardiac arrest for 30 minutes, then 15 minutes after the London ambulance arrived.
“They managed to get him to hospital and his heart was beating again.
EVA Air flight BR67 from Bangkok to London Heathrow had begun its descent towards the British capital when the man was discovered (stock image)
“It’s usually quite fatal for anyone – if they haven’t had CPR… It surprised me too – on the road we have full equipment.”
“In 20 to 30 minutes we’re looking at stopping CPR, but the guy on the plane was on the ground for a good 30 to 40 minutes – there’s no chance he made it out if he hadn’t had CPR.”
“At the end of the day, that’s what’s going to save someone’s life.”
Mr Lines, who has been in the ambulance service for ten years and a paramedic since 2019, says everyone should know CPR.
He added: “It’s something everyone should be able to do – there shouldn’t be a need to hire a professional to do it.
“Good quality CPR is all that is needed to potentially keep a person alive in the event of cardiac arrest – before emergency services arrive.”
‘We never know. Either way, I certainly wasn’t expecting it. It was interesting to land while doing CPR – definitely a new experience.
“I am grateful for the support of the airline staff, who remained calm in these difficult circumstances, as well as the pilot for a relatively smooth landing.”
EVA Air confirmed the incident on flight BR67 Bangkok-London on March 15. The airline has been contacted for further comment.
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