The wife of a British man who died in a tragic turbulence at 37,000 feet is in intensive care with spinal cord injuries, it was revealed last night.
Mum-of-two Linda Kitchen was seriously injured in the mid-air disaster, and her husband Geoff died of a suspected heart attack.
The couple, from Thornbury, Glos, had been setting off on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Far East when the accident occurred on their Singapore Airlines Boeing 777.
The plane diverted to Bangkok and took off with a critically injured Mrs Kitchen along with up to 70 other injured passengers and crew.
She was in intensive care and was informed on Wednesday morning that her husband of 51 years had died in the earthquake.
The grandmother spoke to her son Stuart from her hospital bed.
A family friend said: “She was feeling light-headed from the painkillers, so she's scheduled for a second test.”
“She has injuries to her spine and shoulder. I believe she was unconscious when she was taken off the plane.
“The tragic news was broken to her this morning. They were such a devoted couple that you can't imagine what it's like for her.”
The “adventurous” couple were on their way to a once-in-a-lifetime six-week holiday of a lifetime, taking in Singapore, Japan and Indonesia before heading to Australia.
The injured passengers were not known by name, so their stretchers were numbered as they exited the plane.
Geoff and Linda's family, who live in the UK, were left without any information until Thai authorities sent an interpreter to help the worried families of those involved in the plane crash.
The couple's children Stuart and Anna Procter remain in the UK, but close friends said they were planning to fly to Bangkok.
Jeff Kitchen, 73, died of a heart attack, and 18 others were sent to hospital with neck braces and slings, some on stretchers.
Flight SQ321 took off from London Heathrow Airport just after 10pm on Monday with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, including 47 British nationals.
Officials said nearly 11 hours into the 13-hour journey to Singapore, as passengers were eating breakfast, the packed plane encountered sudden “severe turbulence” and crashed.
Shocking footage showed the plane being violently thrown about and food, drink and crockery strewn across the galley kitchen.
When the tragedy occurred, my grandfather had just begun a six-week trip with Linda to Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and Australia.
A keen amateur actor and former insurance worker, he was described by devastated friends as “a really nice guy”.
“My wife is upstairs crying,” said Steve Dymond, who lives with his wife, Jill, a few doors down from Jeff in a quiet, leafy cul-de-sac in Thornbury, Glos.
“He was a really nice guy. The last time I saw them was Sunday night and my wife saw them drive off on Monday.
“They were going on a big vacation to Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and Australia. They have a son and a daughter.”
Jeff had recently suffered from heart disease and had a stent inserted to widen his artery.
Boeing said, “We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. Our hearts go out to all the passengers and crew members.”
