Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

British Airways cabin crew member found dead on the street in Johannesburg

An investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding his death

Thomas Kingsley
Sunday 13 February 2022 14:44 EST
Comments
An investigation has been launched
An investigation has been launched (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A police investigation has been launched after a British Airways crew member was found dead on a South African street.

Robert Gay, 52, was found dead hours after flying from London Heathrow to Johannesburg and going out for a night out in town with colleagues.

According to reports he was found displaying “no visible injuries.”

Detectives in the city, where violent crime is high, are investigating Mr Gay’s cause of death.

A source close to the investigation told the Daily Mail: “It appears he was walking back to crew hotel and got separated from his friends and was found dead at 4am on 5 February.

“It is suspected that the cause of death was a heart attack, although the full post mortem results are awaited.”

Colleagues and friends have begun paying tribute to the crew member.

“We had a wonderful evening with steak and wine and put the world to rights reminiscing about the good ol’ BA days,” one colleague wrote on Facebook, adding: “So shocked and saddened that you’re gone Rob. You truly were one of the nicest, kindest and most interesting gentleman I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

A spokesperson for British Airways said: “We’re deeply saddened by this news and our thoughts and sincere condolences are with our colleague’s family and friends at this sad time.

“We’re providing support to all of our colleagues that may be affected by this sad news.”

The Foreign and Commonwealth office said: “We are providing consular assistance following the death of a British man in South Africa.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in