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Newlywed Dies in Russian Airport 'After Hourlong Wait for Help'

A 24-year-old newlywed returning from his honeymoon died of cardiac arrest in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after what news reports claim was a 1 1/2 hour wait for an ambulance.

Artyom Chechikov suffered cardiac arrest en route from Barcelona to his native Chelyabinsk in the Urals, Gazeta.ru said Saturday.

Chechikov received first aid from several medics who happened to be on board, but the AirEurope flight still made a nighttime emergency landing at Sheremetyevo, the report said.

Sheremetyevo's medical team showed up 15 minutes after landing, but had no equipment to help the man, the news website said, citing passengers' social media accounts.

An ambulance had to be called twice and still took more than an hour to arrive despite an absence of traffic jams, the report said.

Chechikov died in the airport, Sheremetyevo's press service confirmed in a statement cited by Chelyabinsk.ru on Saturday.

The airport said an ambulance team was deployed immediately, but did not comment on allegations that it was not equipped to help in a life-threatening situation.

Shermetyevo also launched an internal investigation into the incident, which took place last Monday, but was not previously reported.

Chechikov's newly widowed wife Yelena plans to sue the airport, Rossiiskaya Gazeta governmental daily said.

See also:

Two Americans Dead in Moscow

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