Bangor Tandoori: Waiter applauded for saving choking customer

A waiter sprang into action to save a customer who was choking on a curry before the whole restaurant erupted in a round of applause.

Jake Snelling was eating a chicken korma at the Bangor Tandoori Restaurant when he began struggling to breathe.

His friends thought he had indigestion, but waiter Sheakh Nazmul Hasan Rifat realised things were much more serious.

CCTV footage shows he came to Mr Snelling's rescue on Sunday, dislodging the food to clear his airway.

The footage, which was later uploaded on to social media, shows how Mr Snelling's friends had not realised anything was wrong, continuing to chat and laugh while he struggled to breathe.

"We just went up to the mountains for the weekend to do some exploring, we were feeling quite proud of ourselves and thought we'd treat ourselves to a curry," Mr Snelling told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"It was going well, the food was lovely, and then disaster struck.

"I guess I didn't chew properly, I don't know, something just got stuck.

"I did know as soon as it happened, I couldn't breathe at all. I think my friends just didn't quite understand the severity of the situation.

"I think at first they thought it was a bit of indigestion but that wasn't the case.

"I think there definitely was a point of realisation, initially they're trying to pat me on the back and it wasn't working and you can see their faces just fall."

The footage then shows Mr Rifat spot the group and help Mr Snelling to his feet before performing the Heimlich manoeuvre, also known as abdominal thrusts, dislodging the food he was choking on.

"I saw something is wrong, I saw Jake suffering with something so I realised he's maybe choking," Mr Rifat said.

The waiter, who appears calm and focused on the task at hand on the footage, said his father had saved him from choking when he was a child and believes he instinctively knew what to do as a result.

"When I was a kid, my dad done the same thing with me. I believe that thing you know from earlier, it doesn't matter how long ago, it comes into your mind," he continued.

"It was one of the best moments of my entire life when I see that Jake is breathing."

The CCTV footage then shows the entire restaurant give Mr Rifat a round of applause.

Mr Snelling later thanked him personally and confirmed he left a tip, although Mr Rifat was reluctant to accept it.

"Just thank you, I really couldn't say it enough at the time," Mr Snelling told Mr Rifat during their radio interview.

Mr Snelling said despite the incident, he was not put off the rest of his curry.

"I did go back for a bit more. I did make sure to chew it. A few of my friends suggested I get a blender."