Uruguay's president hailed as hero for saving passenger on flight

Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez, an oncologist by training, was hailed as a hero Thursday for saving a fellow airplane passenger with a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Vazquez, who was flying to Paris Monday for a state visit accompanied by his personal physician Mario Zelarayan, helped a young French passenger recover from a severe reaction to peanuts that impaired her ability to breathe.

"Her throat was almost (too) closed to treat (with oral medication). That's when we decided to apply an intravenous injection," Zelayaran told Uruguayan daily El Observador by phone from France.

The incident was "quite serious," he said, adding: "I don't know what would have happened if we had not attended her immediately."

When the 17-year-old girl realized that she was being treated by the president of Uruguay, "she was pleasantly surprised," Zelayaran said.

The girl's mother reportedly noticed that her daughter was struggling to breath and notified the crew, who asked over the loudspeaker if there was a doctor on board. That was when Vazquez volunteered to help.

"Upon landing, the teenager's mother asked the delegation to thank the Uruguayan president for 'saving the life' of the young girl," El Observador said.

The incident took place aboard an Air France flight flying from Montevideo to Paris via Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the girl had competed in a hockey tournament, media reported.

According to Zelayaran, this is the third time Vazquez has come to a flight passenger's aid, after attending to someone on a flight to Asia during his first term as president, and later on a trip to Europe, when he helped an American with asthma.

Vazquez, 75, is on a state visit to France through Nov. 2. Endi