Sushma Swaraj Indian foreign minister passes away due to cardiac arrest

Sushma Swaraj, who served as Indian foreign minister for five years, suffered a cardiac arrest on Tuesday, the Press Trust of India said.

She was a popular minister in Narendra Modi's first term as prime minister, but did not contest parliamentary elections earlier this year. She became known for helping Indians stuck abroad by responding to them on Twitter.

Ms Swaraj died at the age of 67, had been suffering from poor health and had a kidney transplant in 2016.

The news of her death prompted an outpouring of grief and condolences both from fellow politicians and from Indians across the globe.

"A glorious chapter in Indian politics comes to an end," Prime Minster Narendra Modi said on Twitter.

"India grieves the demise of a remarkable leader who devoted her life to public service and bettering lives of the poor. Sushma Swaraj Ji was one of her kind, who was a source of inspiration," he said.

Sushma Ji’s demise is a personal loss. She will be remembered fondly for everything that she’s done for India. My thoughts are with her family, supporters and admirers in this very unfortunate hour. Om Shanti.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 6, 2019

Prime Minister @narendramodi pays his tributes to former External Affairs Minister @SushmaSwaraj at her residence pic.twitter.com/zWRGI2lCOx

— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 7, 2019