. 72-year-old died after arriving at Gatwick airport on flight from Sierra Leone

. Was reportedly vomiting and sweating heavily and collapsed after leaving jet

. Was taken to hospital where she later died and was tested for Ebola 

. Plane quarantined as officials traced those who she had been in contact with 

. Tests which were carried out as a precaution showed she did not have virus

 

Fears that Ebola may reach Britain intensified last night after a passenger from Sierra Leone died at Gatwick airport. The 72-year-old woman became ill and collapsed after she left a Gambia Bird jet arriving from the West African country. The woman, who was reportedly vomiting and sweating heavily, later died in hospital.

 

Tests last night showed that the woman did not have the virus, which has killed 256 people in Sierra Leone. A total of 826 have died in West Africa since the outbreak began in February.

 

The plane, which had 128 passengers on board, was quarantined as officials traced those who had been in contact with the woman. 

 

An airport worker told the Daily Mirror: ‘We’ve all seen how many people have died from Ebola, especially in Sierra Leone, and it’s terrifying. The woman was sweating buckets and vomiting.  ‘Paramedics arrived to try to help her. The next thing everybody was there… emergency crews, airfield operations, even immigration. ‘They closed down the jet bridge and put the aircraft into quarantine.  ‘They took everyone’s details, even the guy who fuels the aircraft.’ 

 

The plane carrying the woman came from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone – a country with the highest number of victims from the disease. It stopped at Banjul in The Gambia before landing in Gatwick at 8.15am on Saturday after a five-hour flight.

 

Last night the Department of Health said that tests on the woman proved negative for Ebola. A spokesman for Public Health England said the woman’s symptoms had suggested Ebola was very unlikely but the tests were carried out as a precaution. A spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust added: ‘We were called to Gatwick Airport on Saturday at 8.27am to attend to a patient who had been taken unwell on an inbound flight from Gambia.' 

 

There is no cure for Ebola, which is spread by close contact. It kills between 25 and 90 per cent of its victims. Early symptoms include headache, fever, fatigue, muscle pain and a sore throat. In the more advanced stages of the virus victims can experience skin rashes; bleeding from the eyes, nose and mouth; as well as diarrhoea, vomiting, and internal bleeding.

 

Guidelines advise quarantining anyone who has caught the virus and disinfecting their homes. Contact with infected animals should be prevented and healthcare workers should wear protective clothing when caring for victims.

 

By STEPHEN JOHNS

Dailymail