Tributes have been paid to an eight-year-old girl who died after she received ''aggressive resuscitative efforts'', falling sick on a commercial flight according to officials.
Sydney Weston was on SkyWest Flight 5121, when she suffered an unknown medical emergency on a commercial flight, dying after the flight was grounded.
Sydney, from Carl Junction, Missouri, was traveling with her her parents Whitney and Dan and her older brother Evan, with her maternal grandmother Teri Carlson posted a tribute to her granddaughter Facebook, prompting others to leave their thoughts and prayers for the eight-year-old.
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One poster said: ''She was such a treasure... it just not real yet. I don't know that it ever will be. My Love and hugs are with you all.'' Another user added: ''What a beautiful little light. My heart is so broken for you and her family.''
The flight was operated in partnership with United Airlines, which departed from Joplin, Missouri, on Thursday at 6am and was headed to Chicago when it diverted to Peoria, Illinois, about 45 minutes after take off.
The girl became ill and then unresponsive before the flight made emergency landing, before she died of an ''unknown ailment'' as her family were on their way to Chicago for vacation.
The Peoria County Sheriff's Office said: ''When the plane landed Deputies, AMT Personnel, and Air National Guard Fire personnel immediately received the 8-year-old female child and began life-saving measures.
''The child was transported to a local hospital by AMT where she was unfortunately pronounced deceased. Please keep the child's family and everyone who was involved in this traumatic experience in your thoughts and prayers.''
The coroner's office said the child, suddenly became "unresponsive" during the flight with the Peoria County Coroner's Office saying although emergency workers attempted life-saving efforts, she was later declared dead upon her arrival at a nearby hospital.
A statement from the coroner's office continued: "Her family immediately notified the flight personnel of her condition, and they began rapidly rendering aid," the coroner's office said.
"She was not breathing and had no pulse," the statement reads, when the plane made an emergency landing in Peoria. According to the coroner's office, Weston was pronounced dead at OSF Healthcare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria at 8:05 a.m despite ''aggressive resuscitative efforts'' .
The flight was operated by SkyWest, which operates through partnerships with United, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
A SkyWest spokesperson said: ''We appreciate the efforts of our crewmembers who responded quickly to assist and the medical personnel who met the aircraft.'' Flight 5121 took off to Chicago again before 1pm Thursday.
It comes after a 41-year-old American man died earlier this week while flying on a Fiji Airways trip from Nadi, Fiji to San Francisco. According to a statement from Fiji Airways, the unidentified man "encountered a medical condition" on Fiji Airways aircraft FJ780, which was 90 minutes away from San Francisco International Airport.
Despite the efforts of the onboard doctor and cabin staff, the man did not survive. The Airbus crew declared a medical emergency, according to FlightAware, before making a safe landing at San Francisco International Airport at 2:34 p.m.
Local Chicago, IL
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