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<\/p>\nAndres Castro had been in Bolivia with his family to celebrate his wife’s birthday but he fell ill on the flight destined for the US, and the plane had to make an emergency landing<\/p>\n
04:58, 28 Aug 2025Updated 06:40, 28 Aug 2025<\/p>\n
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A dad has died after he had a heart attack<\/a> mid-air during a flight<\/a> following a family holiday.<\/p>\n Andres Castro, 39, had celebrated wife Suanny’s birthday in Bolivia but, on the return flight, he suddenly stopped breathing. The pilot made an emergency landing in Colombia<\/a> where Andres was rushed to hospital, but the tourist was declared dead there on Monday.<\/p>\n His brother Teo Ramirez said: “This is not a grief we ever imagined facing so soon… On their flight back to the US, my brother suddenly stopped breathing. The plane made an emergency landing in Colombia, where we learned he had suffered a heart attack. Despite being rushed to the hospital, it was too late.”<\/p>\n Now, the family has created a GoFundMe<\/a> page to help raise money to transport the father of one’s body back to Oregon, US, where they live. Around $15,000 (\u00a311,000) has been donated so far, though the family believe at least $25,000 (\u00a319,000) will be required to bring Andres home and have his burial.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Ryanair passenger ‘quite scared’ on Stansted flight following ‘technical issue’<\/a>READ MORE: EasyJet flight to Alicante suddenly diverts after ‘extraordinary’ emergency<\/a> Andres and Suanny had been visited her family in Bolivia before tragedy struck. The holiday marked the wife’s birthday, according to KOIN 6 News<\/a>. Andres’ sister Tiffany told the digital publication: “We all miss him. We just can\u2019t believe he\u2019s gone… I feel broken, our whole family, it\u2019s hard, trying to keep it together the best that we can. It\u2019s just hard to believe that he\u2019s not here.”<\/p>\n The GoFundMe<\/a> page also details how Andres and his siblings have been caring for their sick mother since her heart failure in April. Teo continued: “We\u2019re stretched thin and our focus is bringing my brother\u2019s body back to Oregon.”<\/p>\n READ MORE: Dramatic moment police swoop on Ryanair flight after passenger ‘tried to open emergency exit’<\/a><\/p>\n Tiffany is leading complex efforts to navigate a way to bring Andres’ body home swiftly. She continued: “It\u2019s a process with the embassy and my family. We\u2019re all just trying to work together to figure it out.” She has urged people to make donations, or at least share the crowdfunding link.<\/p>\n Teo added: “We put our trust in God and know that He will provide a path forward. He always makes a way… From the bottom of our hearts, thank you again for walking alongside us in this difficult journey.”<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_SDC_MDG_-_15501JPG.jpg\")
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