A British nurse who died after a heart attack in a Dubai taxi was in “top form” just 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.
Upon landing in the Emirates, the women were on their way to their hotel when her conditioned worsened.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital where, despite repeated attempts to resuscitate her, Ms Carter died.
On Tuesday, friends and family paid tribute to her as they appealed to the public to help raise the necessary funds to fly her home.
Ms Carter did not have travel insurance and medical and repatriation costs could reach as high as £50,000 (Dh240,000).
“Our gorgeous girl Charlotte lost her life far too young,” wrote her former housemate Megan Boyes in a post 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.”
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Ms Carter, of Swansea, southern Wales, was due to stay at the luxury Five Palm Jumeirah hotel with two of her friends.
The group are understood to have been drinking champagne before boarding in London as a toast to their holiday together.
Reports said Ms Carter might have died of a blood clot. Deep vein thrombosis, which can develop from sitting still for a long time such as when driving or flying, occurs when blood clots form in veins and 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 planning our week,” said Kate George, who was due to meet Ms Carter in Dubai.
"She was absolutely fine, even on top form, and this happens completely 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 Ms Carter’s who studied nursing with her, said she was struggling to find words to express her sorrow.
She recalled asking Ms 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 heartbroken and really struggling to accept you are gone. Heaven really has gained an angel. You have been taken way to soon.”
Ms Carter worked as a psychiatric nurse in London and was passionate about helping people with mental health issues.
By Tuesday afternoon, an online fundraiser for her repatriation had reached more than £21,000. Friends said any funds left over would be donated to a mental health charity.
Ann Sheridan, from the UK National Health Service’s Central and North West London Foundation Trust, described Ms Carter as a "dear colleague".
"Charlotte did not have travel insurance which means that the medical and repatriation bills will be very high, estimated in the region of £40,000, increasing with each day that passes," she said.
A spokesman for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed it was "supporting the family of a British woman following her death in the UAE".