An 8-year-old Missouri girl became “sick and unresponsive” on a SkyWest flight to Chicago on Thursday and was later pronounced dead, authorities said.
The flight the child was on took off from Joplin, Missouri, and was headed to Chicago before making an emergency landing in Peoria, Illinois.
“Her family immediately informed flight crews of her condition, and they quickly began rendering aid. When she landed in Peoria, she was not breathing and had no pulse,” according to a statement from the Peoria County Coroner’s Office.
The child was identified as Sydney Weston, of Carl Junction, Missouri, the coroner’s office said.
The plane landed at General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport around 7 a.m. due to a medical emergency, according to a statement from the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page Thursday.
Emergency responders, including sheriff’s deputies and the Air National Guard, attempted “life-saving measures,” but the child was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, the sheriff’s office said.
In a statement to NBC News on Friday, SkyWest Airlines confirmed that the child was aboard Flight 5121, operating as United Express, from Joplin to Chicago O’Hare International Airport when a passenger became ill and the flight was diverted to Peoria .
There she was “met by paramedics to attend to a passenger in medical distress. We appreciate the efforts of our crew members who responded quickly to assist and the medical personnel who encountered the aircraft,” SkyWest said.
The girl, who is scheduled for an autopsy Friday, died shortly after 8 a.m., the coroner’s office said.
Sydney Weston’s family could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
