Man Chokes to Death on In-Flight Meal

A woman sat next to her boyfriend’s body for the remainder of an 11-hour plane ride from Singapore to New Zealand after the man choked on his meal and died during the flight.

Robert Rippingale, 31, was pronounced dead by an onboard doctor 90 minutes into the flight, the New Zealand Herald reports.

"One minute we were sitting next to each other kissing, holding hands and the next minute he was choking," Vanessa Preechakul, 27, Rippingale’s girlfriend, told the paper.

According to the Herald, Rippingale had lived and worked in Singapore for three years, where he met Preechakul. He was bringing her to New Zealand to discover the country and to celebrate his parents' 50th birthdays.

Rippingale was eating a beef dish while watching a movie when Preechakul noticed him shaking, but at first she didn't realize anything was wrong.

"I thought he was laughing very hard; then I looked at his face and his eyes were rolling and he couldn't talk. His lips were turning purple."

A doctor and two nurses quickly rushed to help after hearing her scream for help.

They performed CPR on him in the galley, but were unable to save him.

The body was moved to the crew rest area behind a curtain and Preechakul asked to sit next to her deceased boyfriend for the remaining nine hours of the flight.

Crew members used a blanket to cover his body.

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