A 10-year-old girl has died after suffering a medical emergency on-board a Christmas Eve flight from Toronto to London.

The child was travelling on Air Canada Flight 868 – a Boeing 787-8 carrying 230 passengers.

The flight was diverted to Shannon, Ireland after the child went into medical distress.

A doctor, a nurse and Air Canada employees tried to help the child during the flight and a medical team met the plane on the ground in Ireland, Air Canada said in an email.

A spokesperson for Shannon Airport confirmed that a female passenger was transferred from the plane to University Hospital Limerick.

However the girl was eventually pronounced dead by local medical authorities.

“We are deeply saddened by this situation and we are doing all we can to assist the family in these tragic circumstances,” the airline said in its statement.

The airline said that it could not provide any further details because of privacy concerns.

The flight has since arrived in London after being diverted, Air Canada said.