A British woman dies in mid-flight, her husband and children stay 8 hours on the plane by her side

A British mother, who had boarded a Cathay Pacific plane from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom on Friday 5 August, died in her sleep in mid-flight. Helen Rhodes’ husband and two children had to stay by her side until the emergency landing in Frankfurt, Germany, reports The Guardian. The victim was found unconscious before dying despite attempts at resuscitation.

“For the remaining 8 hours of the flight, Helen remained unconscious in her seat. Although it was extremely traumatic for the family, they all had time to say what they needed to say to her,” explained a friend of the deceased quoted by the British daily.

As protocol dictates, her body remained in Frankfurt, while her husband and two children resumed their flight to the UK. In order to help them repatriate the body and pay the funeral costs, an online kitty has been opened and more than 26,000 euros have already been collected.

A midwife by profession, this mother had lived in Hong Kong for 15 years with her family. They had decided to return to settle in the United Kingdom in order to be closer to their relatives, whom they had not seen since the start of the pandemic.