Man deported to Angola killed on British flight

A 46-year-old man being deported to Angola was "unlawfully killed" on a British Airways flight after security guards restrained him, according to an inquest jury.

Jimmy Mubenga died after becoming ill as the aircraft prepared to leave Heathrow Airport in October 2010, BBC reported Tuesday.

The man was restrained by security guards of a private firm, the inquest jury at the Isleworth Crown Court heard.

Mubenga was being deported from Britain after serving a two-year prison term for assault.

After he was restrained by security guards, the jury said the man died of cardio-respiratory collapse, in which the heart stops beating and a person stops breathing.

Other passengers said they heard Mubenga wailing for help after saying he could not breathe, with one of the guards apparently replying: "Yes, you can."

Returning the verdict, the jury said Mubenga was pushed or held down by one or more of the guards, and termed it "unreasonable force".

His widow, Adrienne Makenda Kambana, said outside court that her late husband was treated "worse than an animal" on the flight.