A British Airways stewardess has died after catching malaria in Africa. She became sick while working on a long-haul flight from London Heathrow to Ghana’s capital city Accra. There is a major internal investigation underway to figure out exactly how she contracted the illness.

The woman, who has not been named, began to show signs of the deadly disease while staying at a hotel with other crew members, the Mirror reports. A source told the website: ‘It’s obviously devastating for her family and all who knew her… There is huge concern about cabin and flight crew flying to Ghana after such a tragic incident. ‘We are hoping that all safety measures are now taken to makes sure it does not happen again.’

All British Airways crew who fly to Ghana are given anti-malaria tablets and medical advice on how to protect themselves from disease when working abroad. The airline reportedly refused to discuss details of the tragedy – which happened earlier this month – for reasons of ‘confidentiality’.
British Airways released a statement saying: ‘We were deeply saddened to hear of the death of our colleague… The safety of our colleagues and customers is our top priority. ‘Cabin crew are given top strength repellent and fully briefed every time they fly into a malarial area in order to give them the best protection.

‘Medication is available to those who wish to use it, either before they fly or when they are at their destination. ‘We check our hotels and transportation to minimise the chance of contact with mosquitos.’