The family of a British teenager who fell from a plane in Madagascar say they fear she had suffered a severe reaction to medication before she died.
Cambridge University student Alana Cutland fell from the light aircraft after carrying out research in the remote area of Anjajavy on July 25, despite desperate efforts from others on board to keep her inside the plane.
The 19-year-old’s body has not been recovered.
Cutland’s uncle said she had been unwell during her time in Madagascar, possibly due to prescription medication.
“She had taken ill after being there for a few days and when she spoke to her mother on the phone two days before the accident she was mumbling and sounded pretty incoherent,” Lester Riley, the brother of Cutland’s mother Alison, told the Mail Online.
“We think she had suffered a severe reaction to some drugs but not anti-malaria ones because she had taken those on her trip last year to China without any side effects.
“What happened, the family believe, was a tragic accident, not a suicide and we are utterly heartbroken… We don’t think for a moment she deliberately took her own life,” he added.
The plane’s pilot said Cutland had a headache when she boarded and stayed silent during the flight.
“But for the whole time Alana did not say a word – she just struggled to get away from us,” Mahefa Tahina Rantoanina told The Sun.
“I have no idea why she opened the door but she did. She opened the door and she jumped. The door did not open itself.”
Police photographs recreating Cutland’s final moments appear to show the pilot and the second passenger grasping hold of the victim’s leg as she hangs out of the plane.
Cutland eventually fell to her death after a tense struggle to free herself.
“The Cessna C168 aircraft was taking off from Anjajavy with three people aboard, including (passenger Ruth) Johnson, Alana and the pilot,” local police chief Sinola Nomenjahary told The Sun.
“After 10 minutes of flight, Alana undid her seatbelt and unlocked the right door of the plane and tried to get out.
“Ms Johnson fought for five minutes trying to hold her, but when she was exhausted and out of breath she let go.
“Alana then intentionally fell from an aircraft at 1,130 metres above sea level.
“She dropped into a zone which is full of with carnivorous fossa (a cat-like, mammal endemic to Madagascar).”
It was reported Cutland, from Milton Keynes, suffered “paranoia attacks” while on the research trip to the island, off the east coast of Africa.
Police said she was in regular contact with her parents and was making her way home via the island’s main airport.
Family members said the second-year student “grasped every opportunity that was offered to her with enthusiasm and a sense of adventure” and was in Madagascar to complement her studies in natural sciences.
In a statement released through the Foreign Office, her family paid tribute saying: “Our daughter Alana was a bright, independent young woman, who was loved and admired by all those that knew her.
“Alana grasped every opportunity that was offered to her with enthusiasm and a sense of adventure, always seeking to extend her knowledge and experience in the best ways possible.
“She was particularly excited to be embarking on the next stage of her education, on an internship in Madagascar complementing her studies in natural sciences.
“We are heartbroken at the loss of our wonderful, beautiful daughter, who lit up every room she walked in to, and made people smile just by being there.”
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.