easyJet tragedy as passenger on flight to Lanzarote dies mid-air

An easyJet passenger has died on a flight to Lanzarote. Crew members did everything they could to assist during the medical emergency, the airline said.

A distress signal was issued as part of the airline's procedures. The incident occurred on Tuesday, the airline told Le Parisien.

The flight on which the incident happened was travelling from Nantes in France to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. French media reports say the incident occurred on flight EJU4775.

• Inside the 'prettiest street in Britain' where you'll need a whole day to explore
• The seaside town with a high street that's barely changed in 100 years

The captain issued a distress signal before "making a routine landing in accordance with standard procedures". "Our crews are trained to respond to medical emergencies and did everything they could during the flight," the airline told Le Parisien.

"Our thoughts are with the passenger's family and friends, and we offer them our full support and assistance at this difficult time. The wellbeing and safety of our passengers and crew are always easyJet's top priority."

Ouest-France said the incident caused major delays for the return flight from Lanzarote to Nantes. The return flight, which was scheduled to land at 2.45 pm in Nantes, eventually landed at around 11 pm.