A Black British man has died after missing a return flight to the United Kingdom from Jamaica, according to Metro UK. He missed his flight because British Airways staff allegedly told him his passport was “badly damaged” and unusable for international travel.
Chaz Carl Powell was traveling to Jamaica to visit his girlfriend in Montego Bay. He was scheduled to return to the U.K. on March 9 to receive a routine blood transfusion. After being barred from boarding the flight, Powell had to apply for emergency documents at the British Consulate.
As he was waiting for his documents, the 41-year-old developed “severe” jaundice, according to Metro UK. His girlfriend, who said Powell had been “complaining of stomach aches” and “struggling to eat,” took him to the hospita. He later died on March 12.
Authorities have listed Powell’s death as “sudden” and as a result of organ failure, MyLondon reports. Officials are still waiting for a post mortem. However, Powell’s mother thinks her son died because of the stressful situation with his passport.
“I can’t talk about it, I do not even want to think about it, she told MyLondon. “To know that he actually went on holiday and it’s something he would do on a regular basis. That should never have happened, they had no right to take control of my son’s life.”
British Airways said they are “saddened” to hear the news of Powell’s passing, but reaffirmed his documents were too damaged to allow travel, Metro UK reports.
“Airlines are required by law to ensure that all documents presented for travel are valid,” they said in a statement, according to Metro UK. “While our airport team did what they could to help Mr Powell, unfortunately the photo page of his passport was so badly damaged it could no longer be regarded as a valid travel document.”
