‘British tourist’, 59, dies next to partner on flight from the Falkland Islands to Chile

• He was on a plane operated by Chilean airline LATAM en route to Punta Arenas 

A man described as a British tourist has died on a flight from the Falkland Islands to Chile.

The 59-year-old was on a plane heading to the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas with his wife operated by Chilean airline LATAM.

The drama happened yesterday before the aircraft landed during the nearly two-hour long flight. The dead man and his partner were going to take a second flight to country capital Santiago de Chile.

Chilean police from a homicide unit met the plane when it arrived at Carlos Ibanez del Campo Airport.

Diego Díaz, Deputy Commissioner of the specialist unit based in Punta Arenas, told local press: ‘On Saturday on the instructions of local prosecutors, detectives from the Punta Arenas Homicide Brigade went to Carlos Ibanez del Campo Airport after a British tourist aged 59 died inside a plane while it was travelling from the Falkland Islands to Punta Arenas before his connecting flight to Santiago.’

Confirming officers had discovered nothing to suggest his death had been the result of a crime, he added: ‘The man’s wife was interviewed and said he had several underlying health issues.’

A post-mortem due to take place today or tomorrow is expected to confirm he died of natural causes.

The whereabout of the unnamed man’s wife today was not immediately clear.

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