KUALA LUMPUR – The elderly British man who died on the Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore, which ran into severe air turbulence yesterday, has been identified as Geoffrey Kitchen, a grandfather and amateur musical theatre director who was set to enjoy a six-week holiday with his wife.
Kitchen, 73, was a member of the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group, which announced his passing and paid tribute to him on its Facebook page.
“Geoff was always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity and always did what was right for the group.
“He served the group and local community for over 35 years, holding various offices within the group, including chairman, treasurer and most recently secretary,” the theatre group said.
UK’s Mail Online said Kitchen was formerly an insurance worker. He and his wife were heading for Singapore to embark on a six-week holiday around the region, that included Indonesia and Australia.
Kitchen, from Gloucestershire, likely died of a heart attack, media quoted Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn at a press conference.
He was among the 211 passengers and 18 crew on SQ321 that had departed London and was almost due to arrive in Singapore when the plane hit an air pocket over the Irrawaddy Basin and plummeted 6,000ft within five minutes.
The aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, made an emergency landing in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where emergency teams and medical personnel spent one and a half hours to evacuate all persons on board due to the injuries many suffered.
Thai authorities said 71 people had been sent for treatment, six of whom were seriously injured. Many were said to have suffered head injuries as they were thrown upward during the aircraft’s plunge. – May 22, 2024