A German politician has died in Limerick after falling ill on a transatlantic flight that was diverted to Shannon Airport.
Karin Strenz, a member of the German Federal Parliament, suddenly fell ill on a flight from Cuba to Germany, causing the flight's crew to declare a medical emergency while flying over the west of Ireland.
German media outlet Bild reports that she was traveling with her husband on Condor flight DE-199 en-route to Frankfurt, Germany from Varadero, Cuba.
The flight's crew reported that they had a female passenger on board who had fallen ill and requested clearance for an emergency landing at Shannon Airport. They also requested that medical teams be on standby for their arrival.
The Boeing 767-300 jet landed safely in Shannon at 7:36 a.m. and was met by airport personnel, paramedics from the National Ambulance Service, and gardaí.
Strenz was rushed to the University Hospital after undergoing initial treatment at the airport. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital and is believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.
A post-mortem is now due to be carried out, while a coroner's inquest is also be held in the future.
Strenz was a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). Headed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the CDU is the largest party in the German Bundestag with 200 out of 709 seats.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney offered his condolences to Strenz's family in a short statement on Twitter.
"This is such a sad story. Our condolences & sympathy are with the family of Mrs. Karin Strenz, her husband in particular, and to all her colleagues in the German Parliament and CDU Party," Coveney said.
This is such a sad story. Our condolences & sympathy are with the family of Mrs Karin Strenz, her husband in particular, and to all her colleagues in the German Parliament and CDU Party. @dfatirl @GermanyDiplo https://t.co/Q99yW0aaj4
— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) March 22, 2021
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