AZORES: A British woman has died after taking a suspected drug overdose on a flight from Mexico to the UK.

The plane, flying from Cancun to Birmingham, had to divert to the Azores after the woman and a man fell seriously ill.

The woman later died due to a suspected drug overdose, while the 21-year-old man is in a coma.

The plane was carrying 280 people when it made an emergency stop at Lajes airport last night.

Leonora Bettencourt, director of Santo Espirito Hospital in Angra do Heroismo, near the airport, said a 23-year-old woman was dead on arrival.

Bettencourt said the two showed signs of having "taken illegal substances." She said hospital tests had already identified the substance but declined to say what it was because of a police investigation.

The couple have not been named.