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A man has choked to death while eating a steak at a restaurant in Le Havre, northern France.
Despite rescue attempts by the restaurant manager and the crew of an ambulance, the 55-year-old died on Wednesday evening, the newspaper "Paris-Normandie" reported.
The regular guest sat at the table with friends and ordered a bavette steak.
While eating, he suddenly coughed and fell backwards, the owner reported.
With the Heimlich maneuver, a life-saving emergency measure, her husband tried in vain to prevent suffocation.
Gasping for air, the guest, a Spanish teacher, stumbled in front of the restaurant and collapsed.
Paramedics called could no longer help the man despite intensive efforts.
"We were his second family," said the owner.
aeh/dpa