Jan William Langford, 76, was discovered unresponsive in his room at the five-star Trident Hotel in Mumbai’s Nariman Point
A British engineer working on Indian Premier League cricket coverage has been found dead in a Mumbai hotel room.
Jan William Langford, 76, was discovered unresponsive in his room at the five-star Trident Hotel in Mumbai’s Nariman Point. Mr Langford was working with the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The broadcast engineer reportedly returned to his room after the Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders clash at Wankhede Stadium on March 29.
But when repeated calls to his room went unanswered the following day, alarmed hotel staff went to check on him. After getting no response, staff allegedly used a master key to enter, where they found him lying on the floor.
The hotel’s in-house doctor was called before the Brit was rushed to hospital and declared dead.
The IPL Governing Council released a statement saying: “The IPL Governing Council and all stakeholders involved express their deepest condolences on the untimely demise of Mr Ian Williams Langford, a dedicated broadcast engineer, who was an integral part of our broadcast operations. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends back home.
“The IPL is committed to providing all necessary support and assistance to Mr Langford’s family during this incredibly difficult time. The health, safety, and overall security of every member involved in the smooth functioning of the IPL continue to remain of utmost importance.”
Nilesh Bagul, senior police officer at Marine Drive Police Station, said: “The hotel receptionist tried to contact him and called his room but there was no response. They waited and later decided to check on him. He was rushed to the city’s Bombay Hospital where doctors declared him dead.”
Mr Bagul confirmed that the British High Commission has been notified and Mr Langford’s son has been reached. A decision regarding the repatriation of the body will be made once the viscera report results are available.
Police have registered an accidental death report at Marine Drive Police Station, with investigations now underway. Officers added they have not found anything suspicious in his postmortem or any evidence of foul play. Officials have not yet confirmed the cause of death.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: “We supported the family of a British national who has died in India and were in contact with the local authorities.”
