Vietnamese citizens returning from US arrive Vân Đồn International Airport on Thursday. — Photo courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

HÀ NỘI —  A 72-year-old passenger has died on a repatriation flight from the US to Việt Nam, foreign ministry announced Thursday.

The passenger, whose gender has not been revealed, died shortly following a fall after using the lavatory, according to national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

No specific cause of death has been given.

The passenger was aboard the fifth repatriation flight from the US to Việt Nam, departing on July 15 from San Francisco International Airport.

According to the national flag carrier Vietnam Airline, the accident happened after the plane had been in the air for more than 13 hours.

After the passenger fell, the crew gave first-aid and asked for help from any doctors on board.

Unfortunately, the passenger died before the plane landed at Vân Đồn International Airport in the northeastern province of Quảng Ninh. 

The crew reported the accident to relevant agencies and completed required procedures to transfer the passenger’s body to the funeral house.

Vietnam Airlines has also offered condolences to the passenger’s family.

Vietnamese authorities, representative agencies and national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines partnered with US authorities to carry nearly 350 Vietnamese citizens home on the flight.

The passengers included children aged below 18, the elderly, pregnant women, the sick, workers whose visas and labour contracts expired, students without residences due to dormitory closures and others.

The passengers were placed under mandatory quarantine in line with the country's regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

To date, more than 1,700 Vietnamese citizens in the US have been brought home on five repatriation flights while some 13,000 others still wish to return as the COVID-19 pandemic is witnessing complicated developments.

Similar flights will be conducted in the near future to bring citizens home, taking into account domestic quarantine capacity. — VNS