A woman's string of bad luck during a visit to Bermuda continued yesterday when she suffered a seizure while on a flight home to the US.

The female visitor had earlier suffered a broken leg while cruising to the Island and was cutting her vacation short with the flight to New York, The Royal Gazette understands.

The woman, who is believed to be age 70, was on US Air Flight 564 bound for La Guardia yesterday afternoon when she was struck by the seizure.

US Air local general manager Herbie Siggins said: "A person on board the flight had a seizure and the plane had to return to Bermuda for obvious medical reasons.'' The flight was 40 miles outbound, said Airport Operations general manager Jack Gordon, when the medical emergency occurred.

Mr. Siggins said the flight took off at 2.59 p.m. and landed at 3.24 p.m. It was back in the air less than 50 minutes later.

Meanwhile the woman, whose condition had since stabilised, was taken off the plane and rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in an ambulance.

A Bermuda Fire Services' spokesman said the call came in at 3.14 p.m. and was responded to by units from the Clearwater Station and Serco.

Firefighters were on hand when the plane touched down and assisted in getting her off the plane.

Mr. Siggins revealed that the woman had taken ill after travelling to Bermuda on board a cruise ship and had suffered a broken leg which was put in a full length cast.

She was going home on the plane when she suffered the seizure shortly after take off.

The flight was expected to land in La Guardia at 3.50 p.m., New York time, said Mr. Siggins.

HEALTH HTH