India, Oct. 8 -- An 85-year-old American cardiologist died after allegedly choking on a meal served on a Qatar Airways flight, with his family claiming he was denied the vegetarian food he had pre-booked.

According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed in California and obtained by The Independent, Dr. Asoka Jayaweera - a Southern California-based physician and lifelong vegetarian - was travelling from Los Angeles to Colombo, Sri Lanka, via Doha on June 23, 2023, when the tragedy occurred.

About two-and-a-half hours into the over 15-hour flight, meal service began. The complaint states that when Dr. Jayaweera requested his vegetarian meal, a flight attendant told him none were available and suggested he "eat around" the meat in a regular me...