Blood clot may be to blame for death of tourist
A British nurse who died in a Dubai taxi was on “top form” only hours before arriving in the UAE.
Charlotte Carter, 30, was travelling on a seven-hour flight from London with a group of friends for a girls’ holiday when she first began to feel unwell.
After landing, the party were en route to their hotel when her condition worsened.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died despite resuscitation attempts.
Yesterday, friends and family paid tribute their “gorgeous girl”, as they appealed to the public to help raise the necessary funds to fly her home.
Carter did not have travel insurance, and medical and repatriation costs could reach as much as £50,000 (Dh240,243).
“Charlotte lost her life far too young,” wrote former housemate Megan Boyes on Facebook. “Our main wish is to get her back to her parents where she belongs.
“She was the most caring and loving girl and our hearts are completely broken.”
Carter, from Swansea, South Wales, was due to stay at the Five Palm Jumeirah hotel with two friends.
According to reports, Carter may have died from a blood clot. Deep-vein thrombosis, which can develop from sitting still for long periods of time – such as when driving or flying – occurs when blood clots orm in veins, then break away to lodge in the lungs, leading to chest pain and shortness of breath.
“Charlotte was on the flight messaging me saying she can’t wait to see me and plan our week,” said Kate George, who was due to meet Carter in Dubai.
“She was absolutely fine, on top form, and this happens out of the blue. A tragedy doesn’t even describe what’s happened to our beautiful, witty, charming girl.”
Jemma Ribeiro, a childhood friend of Carter’s who studied to become a nurse with her, said she was struggling to find words to express her sorrow.
She recalled asking Carter to be godmother to her son and having her as a bridesmaid at her wedding.
In a Facebook post she wrote: “You were such a huge part of my life and we are left with such a void. Absolutely heart-broken and really struggling to accept you are gone. Heaven really has gained an angel. You have been taken way to soon.”
Carter worked as a psychiatric nurse in London.
By yesterday afternoon, an online fund-raiser set up to raise money for her repatriation had reached more than £22,000. Friends said any funds left over would be donated to a mental-health charity.
Ann Sheridan, from the UK’s Central and North West London Foundation NHS Trust, described Carter as a “dear colleague”.
A spokesman for the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was supporting the family of a British woman after her death in the UAE.