Four-month-old baby dies on flight from London Heathrow to Hong Kong

Jet forced to land in Kazakhstan

The plane was forced to land in Kazakhstan to seek medical help (Reuters)

A four-month-old baby has died on a flight from London Heathrow to Hong Kong, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.

The baby girl fell unconscious mid way through the Cathay Pacific plane's journey, forcing the pilot to land at Almaty airport in Kazakhstan to seek medical help.

A passenger who was a nurse gave first aid to the child before the plane landed in the Central Asian country, Apple Daily reports.

But despite efforts made by Kazakh doctors, the baby was declared dead.

The child's parents are reported to have French-Chinese nationality and had been on their way to visit relatives on the Chinese mainland.

Her parents made the decision to continue their flight to Hong Kong with their dead infant onboard.

It is not yet known how the baby died, but local media reported she may have suffered from a gastro-intestinal disorder before flying.

Cathay Pacific said in a statement: "Cathay Pacific confirms that an infant who travelled from London to Hong Kong on CX256 on 16 April 2016 was found unconscious during the flight and sadly passed away despite emergency medical treatment.

"Medlink services were consulted and as advised, the flight was diverted to Almaty Airport in Kazakhstan so that immediate medical attention could be provided.

"Upon landing, the infant was diagnosed by the local medical officers. The family continued their journey to Hong Kong with the infant on CX256.

"Due to privacy concerns and out of respect to the family, we are unable to provide details of the incident. We are saddened by the incident and offer our sincere condolences to the family."