This month, many of us will be utilizing public transportation (especially flight) to visit family across the country for the holiday season, and it is always sad to know about those who lose their lives in transit to see their loved ones during this time as well. This was the case for a teenager who unexpectedly died on Saturday morning.

According to FOX News, a teenage boy (whose name has not been released yet) suffered through a medical emergency aboard a Delta Airlines flight from Seattle, WA, to Atlanta, GA, this past Saturday. The 16-year-old teen from the Atlanta area was not traveling solo, but was on board the flight with a family member; however, the teen’s father is actively serving in the military and stationed in Washington.

Joe Ryan, a passenger on the same flight as the teen, stated that the pilot broadcasted on the plane’s intercom system after takeoff that there was an emergency with one of the passengers on the flight. Ryan also stated that the teenage boy had been taken to the rear of the aircraft where flight attendants performed “life-saving measures.”

A report from CNN on this story stated that the teen died during the plane’s emergency landing in Spokane, WA. Jim Uttke, the deputy medical investigator for the Spokane Medical Examiner, stated that the teen died of “natural causes” and that an autopsy would be performed sometime today (Monday).

Included within FOX News’ report, it was stated that Delta airlines made arrangements with the 258 passengers to rearrange their travel to Atlanta.

The Spokane Fire Department that first responded to the Delta flight’s emergency landing posted their condolences on Facebook (below) to the family of the teenage boy on board the Delta flight.

[Image source: Wikimedia Commons]