A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from London to Singapore, SQ321, was hit by severe turbulence on May 21, 2024.

The aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, descended some 6,000 feet, or over 1,800 meters, feet within the span of around three minutes, according to data from a flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

The incident has killed one and injured numerous others.

Deceased retired and supposed to go on "holiday of a lifetime"

The deceased, a 73-year-old British man, was named Geoff Kitchen, according to the BBC.

Kitchen was reportedly well-known in Thornbury, a town near Bristol in southwest England, where he had lived for over 30 years, The Telegraph reported.

He retired from working in the insurance industry but continued to be involved in his town, where he ran for elections. He had reportedly suffered heart problems in recent years but kept active.

He had been married to his wife, Linda, for over 50 years and the couple are grandparents.

The couple were en route to Australia, where they were supposed to have a six-week "holiday of a lifetime" which they had been planning for a long time, Kitchen's friends and family told British media according to The Guardian and The Telegraph.

In anticipation of their long holiday, the couple reportedly spent their last weekend with their grandchildren as they would not see them for a while.

Described as a gentleman

Kitchen's daughter, Anna Proctor, paid tribute to her father, describing him as an “extremely kind, loving and gentle man”.

She told The Telegraph her father was “a wonderful man and he had years ahead of him and obviously we are completely devastated".

Kitchen also continued being involved in amateur theatre during his retirement, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Thornbury Musical Theatre Group (TMTG), a theatre group that Kitchen helped to run in South Gloucestershire in England, paid tribute to him in a Facebook post on May 22, 2024.

The group described him as a "gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity" who always did what was right for the group.

They wrote:

"His commitment to TMTG was unquestionable and he has served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years, holding various offices within the group, including Chairman, Treasurer and most recently Secretary.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time, and we ask that you respect their privacy."

Linda was admitted to hospital in Bangkok where the flight made an emergency landing.

BBC reported that the United Kingdom's (UK) authorities are supporting Kitchen's family.

Seven in critical condition

There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board SQ321 on May 21.

According to SIA, the nationalities of the passengers are as follows:

• Australia: 56
• Canada: 2
• Germany: 1
• India: 3
• Indonesia: 2
• Iceland: 1
• Ireland: 4
• Israel: 1
• Malaysia: 16
• Myanmar: 2
• New Zealand: 23
• Philippines: 5
• Singapore: 41
• South Korea: 1
• Spain: 2
• UK: 47
• United States: 4

Over 50 people, including crew members, were hurt, of which seven are in critical condition, Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn said in a press conference on the night of May 21.

SIA said on May 22 that 71 passengers were in hospital.

Thai hospital officials said 61 of the injured passengers are being treated at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, while the other 10 have been transferred to other hospitals in its network, AP reported.

Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on May 22 that nine of its citizens, including a crew member, were injured. One is in critical but stable condition, the New Straits Times reported.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has not detailed if any Singaporeans onboard SQ321 were injured during the flight.

Most passengers have arrived in Singapore

A relief plane carrying 143 passengers arrived in Singapore from Bangkok in the wee hours on May 22.

Another 79 passengers and six crew members, including the 71 hospitalized, are still in Bangkok.

SIA said a second relief flight has been planned.

@mothershipsg what we know about flight SQ321 so far #singaporeairlines #aviation #sq321 #tiktoksg #sgnews ♬ original sound - Mothership

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Top image from Thornbury Musical Theatre Group/Facebook and Thairath