The family of a woman who died suddenly on a flight from Melbourne will have to travel to Australia for her memorial service because her body cannot be sent home.
Manpreet Kaur, 24, an aspiring chef, was fastening her seatbelt on a Qantas flight about to depart from Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport to India on June 20 when she suffered a fatal medical episode.
Ms Kaur returned to Dharampura, in the northern district of Mansa, to visit her family, her first visit in more than four years.
Her cousin and roommate, Kuldeep Kaur, told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Kaur’s health had deteriorated in recent months as she unknowingly suffered from tuberculosis.
She said the last thing Ms Kaur said to her was, “I’ll be back.”
“She had difficulty speaking and for the last week she had no energy to do anything and just lay in bed,” Kuldeep said.
Kuldeep explained that Ms Kaur returned to India to help her recover and to be with family and friends who could care for her.
The post-mortem confirmation of the serious and highly contagious respiratory disease has prompted authorities to rule that the body cannot be transported out of the country, said Kuldeep.
She revealed that the decision had resulted in Ms Kaur’s family having to apply for visas so they could fly to Australia and attend Ms Kaur’s funeral.
The family of 24-year-old aspiring chef Manpreet Kaur (pictured) are applying for a visa to Australia to attend her funeral after attempts to repatriate her body were unsuccessful.
A friend of Ms Kaur, Gurdip Grewal, said the family was “devastated … (and) experiencing a mixture of shock, grief and disbelief”.
“It’s been a very tough time for everyone,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Kaur had been studying to become a chef since moving to Australia, but was still working at Australia Post in the month before her death.
Kuldeep ‘couldn’t believe it’ when she heard a knock on the door from a police officer who told her about the death of her ‘honest and kind’ cousin.
“I took her to the airport that morning and she said, ‘I’ll be back,’” Kuldeep said.
Ms Kaur had booked a return flight to Australia for July 25, expecting to recover from her illness by then.
a GoFundMe The campaign launched by Mr Grewal to support the Kaur family has raised more than $41,000 in just over a week.
“Our dear friend Manpreet left us far too soon, leaving a void in our lives that can never be filled,” the fundraising page reads.
“As we mourn her passing, we want to come together to honor her memory and support her family during this difficult time.”
Ms Kaur died suddenly on a plane en route to India at Tullamarine Airport to be reunited with her family, after unknowingly battling tuberculosis for months (stock image)
The young woman’s health had been deteriorating for months before her death, but she was expected to recover and return to Australia on July 25 (pictured: Ms Kaur)
According to reports, a severely weakened Ms Kaur “fell in front of her seat and died on the spot” after struggling to fasten her seat belt before take-off.
A Qantas spokesman said crew and emergency services attempted to resuscitate her without success.
“Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones,” the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
Victoria Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
The airline was informed of Ms Kaur’s tuberculosis diagnosis on Monday and contacted the National Incident Centre Operations for more information.
The Victorian Department of Health said it had commenced limited source and contact tracing the following day and that anyone identified as a potential risk would be notified.