Tributes have been pouring in for the 73-year-old Brit passenger who passed away on a Singapore Airlines flight which encountered severe turbulence.
Geoffrey Kitchen has been named as the passenger who passed away onboard the Boeing 777-300ER on Tuesday (21 May).
The father-of-two, who is said to have suffered from heart problems, is suspected to have had a heart attack after chaos erupted in the skies around 10 hours into the 13-hour journey from London to Singapore.
Advert
Passengers have described how flight SQ321 - which was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members - suddenly experienced a 'dramatic drop' while flying over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000ft.
Student Dzafran Azmir, 28, said: "Everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.
"Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it."
Advert
Chilling images from inside the cabin of the Boeing have given the world an insight into what went on, with the snaps showing how the interior of the plane was seriously damaged by the turbulence.
Flight tracking data also shows that the Boeing was cruising at 37,000ft (11,280m) and had dropped by a whopping 6,000ft (1,830m) in the space of around three minutes when the turbulence hit.
Singapore Airlines said pilots made an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand, and arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3.45pm local time on Tuesday (21 May), which is 9.45am UK time.
Several people were left seriously injured in wake of the ordeal, while dozens more were also wounded.
Advert
Tragically, Geoffrey - who was reportedly heading on a 'last big holiday' with his wife Linda, who was rushed to hospital following the incident - passed away on the plane.
The grandad, from Thornbury, Gloucestershire, was about to embark on the trip of a lifetime with his other half and was set to explore destinations including Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia.
His cousin Stephen Kitchen told The Independent that his family were 'shocked' by Geoffrey's sudden passing, while explaining that the couple had both been 'looking forward to the holiday'.
Advert
"They are travellers, they do quite a lot of these things, quite adventurous," he added. "It was sort of going to be their last big holiday."
Geoffrey has been remembered as an 'esteemed colleague and friend' by the local theatre club he dedicated 35-years of his life to, The Thornbury Musical Theatre Group, which he was appointed director of in 2020.
A statement from the group said: "It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the devastating news of the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend.
"Geoff was always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity and always did what was right for the group.
Advert
"His commitment to TMTG was unquestionable and he has served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years," it continued.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time."
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said it was supporting the family of the passenger, and was in contact with local authorities.
The head of Singapore Airlines, Goh Choon Phong, offered his 'deepest condolences' to Geoffrey's family and apologised to passengers for the 'traumatic experience' they had on flight SQ321.
He said: "We are deeply saddened by this incident. On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased.
"We are very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through. We are fully co-operating with the relevant authorities on the investigations."
A spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority also said: “Our deepest condolences go out to all those who have been affected.
"Accidents of this nature are extremely rare and aviation remains one of the safest forms of travel."
Topics: Travel, News, UK News, World News, Health
Olivia Burke