AN EMERGENCY coroner's inquest into the death of a two-year-old child on board a trans-atlantic jet on Tuesday, has heard how the toddler was very sick before boarding the original leg of the New York-bound flight and that her family was fleeing the troubles in Eritrea in East Africa.
In an unprecedented move, the emergency inquest was held in Ennis, Co Clare yesterday in an effort to expedite the family's onward journey to the US. The family of eight was part of a larger group of 25 people from Eritrea who were being relocated to the US by the International Organisation for Migration.
At Ennis court house yesterday, Clare county coroner Isobel O'Dea opened the inquest into the death of two-year-old Lumuna Armadan Biddo but stated that it was her intention, at the end, to adjourn proceedings to October in the absence of medical evidence.
The inquest heard how the child's father, Armadan Osman Biddo (52), had fled Eritrea with his wife and six children after their home was destroyed and family members were killed in the ongoing war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. In his statement, which was read out at the inquest by Supt John Scanlan, Mr Osman Biddo outlined how his daughter had a bad cough and how he had taken her over the mountains to a hospital in Addis Ababa where she was treated.
"When we left, they gave us a syrup in case she got the cough again. The syrup is in our luggage gone to America," his statement read.
Mr Osman Biddo's statement outlined how he was told on the flight from Frankfurt to New York that his child had died, "The stewardess came to me and said, 'I am sorry, your daughter, she is dead'."
The inquest was also read the statements of Italian paediatrician Dr Chiara Mandas who first observed the child in her father's arms where she "appeared limp" and "vomited on her father" and showed "signs of dehydration".
Dr Mandas said in her statement that "there was no food in the vomit, just gastric fluids".
She said she tried to explain to the father not to give the child any more water. The doctor's statement also outlined how she took the child to a lavatory at the rear of the aircraft where she treated her with the assistance of two flight attendants. Efforts were made to give the child a "saline infusion", however the doctor could not find a vein.
The doctor also attached a pad from a defibrillator to the toddler but the monitor showed a "flat line". Despite this, the doctor and flight attendants continued to give the child CPR for about 15 minutes; however, the doctor finally pronounced the child dead.
Flight attendant Rebekka Roggenhack stated: "I informed the cockpit of a medical emergency in progress but the captain said it would be an hour and a half before we would reach Shannon, the nearest airport . . . I think the child died at 2pm Irish time and we landed at 2.40pm."
After reading all the statements into evidence, Supt Scanlan asked the coroner to adjourn. Ms O'Dea said, "In the absence of a full postmortem report, I will accede to the superintendent's request and adjourn this inquest until October 22nd at 2.15pm."
Ms O'Dea offered her sympathies to the child's father and praised the efforts of flight attendants and medical crews, especially Dr Mandas, as well as gardaí, the hospital staff in Limerick and Cork, and staff at Shannon airport. Supt Scanlan offered his sympathies and those of An Garda Síochána to Mr Osman Biddo and his family and said the Garda would make every effort to assist them.
He also thanked those who offered assistance for the family during their time in Ireland.
The seven remaining family members will stay in a local hotel in Shannon tonight as efforts continue to expedite their onward journey to the US.