A British passenger Geoffrey Kitchen died on Tuesday after a Singapore Airlines flight from London encountered severe turbulence, forcing an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand. The Boeing 777-300ER, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was en route to Singapore when it was hit by sudden and extreme turbulence. The plane saw a dramatic drop of 6,000 feet in just 3 minutes, killing one and injuring over 30 passengers on board, reported Reuters.
Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, reportedly died of a heart attack during the turbulence. Mr Kitchen was on what his family described as his "last big holiday" with his wife when the incident occurred.
Who was Geoffrey Kitchen?
1. Geoffrey Kitchen, originally from Bristol, lived in a semi-detached home in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, for most of his life, reported The Guardian.
2. He was an amateur theatre performer and a retired insurance professional.
3. Mr Kitchen founded the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group. He actively participated in last Christmas's Dick Whittington pantomime, and the group has two upcoming productions this year, as per the outlet. He had advocated reopening Thornbury's Armstrong Hall, a venue previously used for theatre productions.
4. Mr Kitchen and his wife, Linda, were on holiday when they took the ill-fated flight from London's Heathrow Airport on Monday night. She was one of the passengers taken to hospital in Bangkok, The Guardian reported.
5. Mr Kitchen's neighbour revealed that the 73-year-old had a history of heart issues. Recently, he had surgery to insert stents (tiny tubes), to help widen his arteries and improve blood flow. Mr Kitchen is survived by his son, who runs a window cleaning business, and his daughter, who lives in Wales, reported the outlet.
