A 24-year-old Indian-origin woman died on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Delhi before the plane could take off. Manpreet Kaur, who had dreams of becoming a chef, was excited to visit her family in India for the first time in four years.
Kaur who "felt unwell" before boarding the flight, managed to get on the plane without any issues, reported News.com.au.
However, as she tried to put on her seatbelt, she collapsed and died immediately on June 20. The aircraft was still at the boarding gate in Melbourne when cabin crew and emergency services rushed to assist her.
"When she got on the plane, she was struggling to put her seatbelt on," her friend Gurdip Grewal told the Herald Sun, reported News.com.au. "Just before her flight started, she fell in front of her seat and died on the spot."
The cause of death is believed to be tuberculosis, an infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs.
Kaur had been working at Australia Post while studying cookery and had aspirations of becoming a chef. Her roommate, Kuldeep, described her as "kind and honest" and mentioned that she enjoyed travelling with friends around Victoria.
Before her death, Kaur was returning to India to see her parents for the first time since she moved to Australia in March 2020.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Kaur's family during this difficult time.
"Our dear friend Manpreet left us too soon, leaving a void in our lives that can never be filled," the page reads. "As we grieve her passing, we want to come together to honour her memory and support her family in their time of need. Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to our goal."
