A flight attendant and mom of three died in front of horrified passengers on board a domestic flight in Italy — after she initially decided against medical help because she wanted to get back to her family.
Gabriella Cario, 57, was reportedly feeling sick while she waited to board an ITA Airways flight to Rome at Reggio Calabria Airport, southeast of Naples, on Saturday.
The seasoned flight attendant — who worked for the airline but was boarding as a passenger for the fateful flight — decided against seeking medical help because she was eager to return home, where her husband and three sons were waiting for her.
When Cario finally got on the plane, however, her condition rapidly worsened and she died just a few minutes later — all within plain view of her shocked fellow travelers.
All passengers were forced to disembark the plane as paramedics rushed on board.
The first responders tried to revive Cario, but she was ultimately pronounced dead.
The ITA flight was postponed until the evening, which caused other flights out of the airport to be delayed.
Cairo’s cause of death has been reported as a “sudden illness.”
Her funeral was held on Tuesday in Sabaudia, where she lived with her family.
“I knew Gabriella. She was a bright, always smiling, and kind woman,” Sabaudia Mayor Alberto Mosca said.
“On behalf of the administration and the entire community, I extend our heartfelt condolences to her husband and her beloved three children.”
