Elderly German tourist dies of suspected heart attack near Indian Botanic Garden
Times of India | 27 November 2024
Howrah: A 91-year-old German tourist on the way to visit the Indian Botanical Garden fell ill on Tuesday evening and died shortly afterwards. The deceased, John Richard Karl Maxx, was part of a large group comprising 23 German and 19 English tourists. They took a luxury cruise and were visiting tourist spots along the banks of the Hooghly. Doctors said it appeared to be a heart attack but a post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause.
According to cops, Maxx fell ill when the vessel reached the jetty and the group began to disembark to tour the botanic garden. His fellow travellers admitted him to Narayana Super Specialty Hospital with the help of Howrah City Police. Doctors declared him dead shortly after, around 8 pm.
City Police DC Central Sunirmal Pal said the group disembarked at the Botanical Garden jetty from Chandernagore to visit the garden and had plans to visit Belur Math by cruise later. The tour manager, Thomas Schumann, told cops that Maxx collapsed as soon as they got off.
The manager also told the police that Maxx was a former teacher and lived in Uhlstädt-Kirchhasel, Germany. The police have informed the German consulate about the death.
The DC said Schumann told cops that Maxx was experiencing cough and chest pain since boarding the vessel at Chandernagore.
The tourist group left for Port Blair on Wednesday morning, leaving Maxx's body in Howrah for the autopsy.