‘Devoted’ wife of London-Singapore flight victim among six Brits in intensive care as she’s told of husband’s death
22 May 2024, 22:18 | Updated: 23 May 2024, 00:10
The seriously injured wife of Geoff Kitchen, who died after a flight from London to Singapore plummeted during severe turbulence, has been told about her husband’s death.
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Linda Kitchen suffered serious spinal injuries when the Singapore Airlines plane flight SQ321 experienced severe turbulence while flying near Myanmar airspace.
The head of Bangkok Airport, where the plane was diverted to, said her husband Mr Kitchen died of a suspected heart attack during the turbulence. An autopsy will now be carried out.
Mrs Kitchen was taken off the flight with up to 70 injured passengers and crew following the shock incident and remains in intensive care.
She was told that her husband had died on Wednesday morning.
A family friend told the MailOnline: “She was woozy with painkillers and she's going for a second scan.
“She has spinal and shoulder injuries - I think she was unconscious when they got her off the plane.
“The tragic news was broken to her this morning. They were such a devoted couple, you can't imagine what it must be like for her.”
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Geoff and Linda had been on their way to Singapore as part of a six-week holiday, planning to also visit Japan, Indonesia and Australia.
Their family had been unable to get information on Geoff and Linda until the Thai authorities brought in translators to assist them.
Their children Stuart and Anna Proctor are planning to fly to Bangkok, according to a close friend.
Anna posted on Facebook earlier on Wednesday: “Love you Dad x.”
It comes after it was confirmed on Wednesday that six British people remain in intensive care after the incident.
A total of 104 patients were taken to hospital and medical clinics in Bangkok, where the plane was diverted.
Samitvej Srinakarin Hospital said 58 patients were being treated in three hospitals across the city.
Twenty patients, including six Brits, remain in intensive care units, with additional 3, including nine British people, still in inpatient care, the hospital added.
Musical theatre director Geoff Kitchen, 73, was travelling in premium economy with his wife when the Singapore Airlines plane flight SQ321 experienced turbulence while flying near Myanmar airspace.
The plane, with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, dropped sharply from 37,000ft to 31,000ft in just five minutes near Myanmar airspace around 11 hours into its journey.
Any passengers on board not wearing seatbelts were “launched into the ceiling," survivors later said.
One passenger said: “Some poor people walking around ended up doing somersaults. It was absolutely terrible.”
Another passenger, named Josh, told the Times he had blacked out amid the savage turbulence.
He said the cabin was covered in pools of blood when he came round.
One passenger from London, Andrew Davies, described the scenes of chaos on board to LBC's Andrew Marr.
"I was watching a film then the seatbelt sign came on, I quickly put it on, and a few moments after the plane literally just dropped - lots of people's belongings crashed to the ceiling, there were cups, blankets, pillows, cushions, my shoes vanished.
"It was only when I looked behind me that I realised the gravity of it - an elderly lady had very deep cuts on her forehead and was covered in blood, there were lots of people screaming.”
