The teen, Aiyah Abdelhalim, began screaming halfway through the EgyptAir flight from Cairo on Saturday after her pain medication wore off. Her condition alarmed authorities, who launched an investigation into how she was allowed on the plane with burns on 40% of her body.
Her father, Ibrahim Abdelhalim, 47, told the Daily News from Alexandria, Egypt, that she was injured Sept. 30 in a gas explosion at her home.
“They said they weren’t equipped, they didn’t have a burn center able to handle care like this,” the father said.
The U.S. Embassy in Egypt had been of little assistance for Aiyah, or his own efforts to travel to America to join her, Abdelhalim said. An uncle and friend were with her at the Nassau University Medical Center burn unit.
“I just spoke to Aiyah in a video conference today and I saw her, and she’s great. From bottom to top,” the dad said.
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