Aer Lingus Bite Incident Leads To Flight Diversion, Deceased Passenger

An Aer Lingus bite by one passenger during an international flight was just one component of a bizarre incident that ended with the biting passenger’s death. Though many details have yet to emerge about the situation, there has been some information released by those involved. Just what happened with this passenger on the flight?

According to the Mirror, the Aer Lingus biting incident happened during Flight EI485 as it traveled from Lisbon, Portugal, to Dublin, Ireland, on Sunday night. An unnamed man was said to have been acting strangely and violently as the incident began, and he reportedly injured one or two fellow passengers.

Man dies on flight to Dublin after becoming violent and BITING a fellow passenger http://t.co/HNSLYKewhv

— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) October 19, 2015

Reports indicate that the man was “running amok” during the flight and that the Aer Lingus jet was diverted to Cork, Ireland, due to the passenger’s “extremely violent” behavior. It seems that the man bit one passenger, then started to bite another before he was restrained by the crew. The flight crew advised air traffic controllers that there was an emergency on board, and they were quickly sent to the nearby Cork airport.

Shortly after being restrained by the crew, the alleged assailant went unconscious. Though there was a doctor on the plane who tried to assist the passenger, the man was pronounced dead just prior to the landing in Cork.

The Airbus A320-200 plane had 168 passengers on board during the flight, as well as six crew members. The Guardian notes that the passengers were taken from Cork to Dublin via a bus Sunday night after the authorities sorted through the situation and talked with witnesses.

Man, 24, dies on board Dublin-bound Aer Lingus flight http://t.co/ncavdDAeIO

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 18, 2015

The authorities have not yet released the identity of the man who died. However, sources have indicated that he was initially believed to have been traveling alone, and RTE News indicates that he was 24-years-old. Early reports detail that the man is not believed to have been from Ireland originally, but that he may have been studying there.

One man was taken to the hospital for his injuries after the plane landed, but no other passengers or crew members needed extended medical attention. Additional details regarding the Aer Lingus bite incident from the Independent indicate that the man is believed to have been from Brazil, and he seemingly had a seizure just before his death.

In addition to the man’s death, a Portuguese woman was arrested on drug-related charges after authorities uncovered a significant amount of amphetamines. At this point, however, authorities have not detailed a definitive connection between the dead passenger and arrested Portuguese woman.

One passenger, John Leonard, says the incident was quite horrible, and the dead man suffered significantly before he died. Leonard described the man as being in deep anguish during the chaotic moments before the passenger’s death. It seems that the man who was bitten had tried to restrain the unnamed passenger, and two nurses in addition to the doctor worked to help the seizing passenger before the plane landed.

Sources indicate that the passengers were kept on the plane for about two hours in Cork after the diversion and emergency before being interviewed by the authorities and taken to Dublin via the bus. The woman was taken to the police station for detailed questioning. An autopsy will be done on the passenger who died to determine whether an underlying medical condition was responsible for his behavior or whether there were other factors in play.

As was noted previously via the Inquisitr, the Aer Lingus bite incident on the Lisbon-to-Portugal flight on Sunday has everybody speculating about the unique incident and cause behind the passenger’s bizarre behavior. More details should emerge in the days to come pinpointing whether it was drugs, a medical condition, or something more complex that led to the chaotic incident.

[Photo via Aer Lingus Facebook page]