Briton who died after turbulence a 'remarkable man'

A British man who died on board a Singapore Airlines flight hit by severe turbulence has been described as a "remarkable man" by a friend.

Geoff Kitchen suffered a suspected heart attack after the plane encountered a sudden drop in altitude - leading to what passengers have called scenes of "absolute terror".

Seven other passengers were critically injured, while dozens more suffered minor injuries.

The 73-year-old was on a flight from London to Singapore, with some 211 passengers and 18 crew, including 47 people from the UK, when the turbulence forced it to divert to Bangkok, Thailand.

A fresh update on Wednesday from the Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok said 104 people were treated and 58 remain in hospital, of which 20 were in the ICU.

There are 15 Britons still being treated in hospital, with six in the ICU, the hospital added.

Singapore Airlines said 74 passengers and six crew members remained in Bangkok. Five passengers are due to complete their journey to Singapore on Wednesday evening, while the rest landed in Singapore early in the morning.

Mr Kitchen was travelling with his wife on the first leg of a long-planned journey including a cruise in Indonesia and trip to Australia, a friend of the couple told the BBC.

He was described as being "always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity" by members of the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in South Gloucestershire, which he helped to run.

Lizzie Atkins, a friend of Mr Kitchen's and a member of the theatre group, described him as a "remarkable man".

Mr Kitchen was the group's secretary, treasurer and chairman, she said, adding: "He would do anything for you, anything for the group - he was just amazing."

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Atkins said: "I just can't believe that I'm having to do this, he was the most wonderful human being that you could ever know, really one of the top ones - he was stable and reliable and you always knew you were in safe hands with Geoff."

Mr Kitchen and his wife were both "adventurous travellers" and their trip "had been planned for a very long time," Ms Atkins said.

"They loved to travel and this was something they were particularly looking forward to."

She added: "He had a really dry sense of humour and he had a twinkle in his eye, every time you saw him you just knew he was going to make a funny joke."

Mr Kitchen's neighbour, Jill Dimond, said he was "extremely witty" and "incredibly easy to talk to".

She described Mr Kitchen and his wife as a "very special couple".

Ms Dimond told BBC Radio Bristol that she had lived next door to the couple since 2015 and had been on holiday with them.

She said she was in "extreme shock" when she heard that Mr Kitchen had died.

“We just knew they were setting off on this holiday and we’d seen them at the weekend and almost waved them off,” she said.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said it was supporting the family of the passenger, and was in contact with local authorities.

About 10 hours into its flight, the plane encountered "sudden extreme turbulence" over Myanmar's Irrawaddy Basin, according to an airline official.

Passengers have described chaotic scenes on board, with people and objects suddenly launched across the cabin.

Briton Andrew Davies said he was left "covered in coffee" after the ordeal. He heard "awful screaming" and saw "things flying through the air".

He and other passengers helped Mr Kitchen out of his seat and laid him on the floor so medics could administer CPR when they saw he was in trouble, he added.

Another British man, Jerry, was on the plane as part of a journey to Australia for his son's wedding. He said the jet "plunged" mid-flight with no warning.

He said both he and his wife hit their heads on the plane's ceiling, and that people who were walking around "ended up doing somersaults".

Allison Barker's son Josh was travelling on the flight. He managed to send her a text saying: "I don't want to scare you, but I'm on a crazy flight. The plane is making an emergency landing... I love you all."

After that message, Allison said she waited for a "petrifying" two hours before hearing from him again.

She said Josh sustained minor injuries, but she is worried about the experience's lasting impact on him.

The Boeing 777-300ER was diverted to Bangkok following the incident, and made an emergency landing at 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT).

On Tuesday, Singapore Airlines said it was working with Thai authorities to provide medical assistance to passengers, and was sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional help needed.

The head of Singapore Airlines, Goh Choon Phong, has apologised, saying the airline was "very sorry for the traumatic experience" for those onboard flight SQ321.

He expressed his condolences to the family of the victim, adding that they would "render all possible assistance" to affected passengers and crew members.

The airline, he said, was "fully cooperating with relevant authorities on the investigations".