Baby dies in stranger’s arms on flight from Malaysia to Australia

‘The parents were just genuinely beside themselves,’ passenger says

A two-month-old baby died in a passenger's arms after she fell ill on an Air Asia flight from Malaysia to Australia.

Nadia Parenzee said the child had been crying continuously during the journey.

She said she could tell by looking at the parents "they were a little bit distressed".

"The baby was crying a lot, but then I could see the stewardess was giving a bottle to the baby, so I thought ‘OK, maybe it’s just hungry’,” she told Australian broadcaster ABC News.

The former nurse later offered to help the girl's Saudi Arabian parents, she said.

“I took the baby straight away and I could see that she was grey in colour and she was struggling to breathe, so I said a little prayer,” she added. “I was screaming, ‘we need a doctor, we need a doctor,’ and about 20 people came running.”

Doctors travelling on the plane performed CPR on the infant for two hours while the plane continued to Perth, Ms Parenzee said, adding: “I had known when I looked at the baby’s pupils and they did the light test that the baby had passed."

A spokesperson for Air Asia said the plane had been met by medical staff and Western Australia (WA) police officers when it landed at Perth International Airport.

“We are unable to comment further on the infant’s medical situation, however our thoughts are with the infant and family involved," they added.

A WA police spokesperson said there was nothing to suggest the child’s death was suspicious, but officers were investigating the death and would prepare a report for the local coroner.

Ms Paranzee said the child’s father was a doctoral student who had come to Australia to study.

She said he was doing his PhD in Australia and had told her that he "heard so many good things" about the country.

She added: “The parents were just genuinely beside themselves.”