The man lost liters of blood, some of which splashed against the walls of the plane. (Representative photo)
A 63-year-old man on board a Lufthansa flight from Thailand to Germany died Thursday after “liters of blood” poured from his mouth and nose. According to the New York Post, the German man, whose name has not been released, died in the presence of his wife after boarding the flight to Munich shortly before midnight. He was seen visibly ill aboard the plane in Bangkok, with “cold sweats” and “breathing way too fast,” a passenger on the same flight recalled.
“It was absolute horror, everyone was screaming,” said Karin Missfelder, who was also on the plane, according to the After. She recalled the 63-year-old suffering from “cold sweats” and “breathing way too fast” before his fellow passengers rushed to help him, took his pulse and offered him tea. The passenger said that the man had lost liters of blood and that the walls of the plane were also covered in red splatters.
For about half an hour, flight attendants tried to perform CPR, but Ms. Missfelder said it was clear the man could not be saved. When he finally stopped and the captain announced the man's death, “it was dead quiet on board,” she said.
According to the SubwayThe man's body was carried to the plane's gallery as it returned to Thailand. Ms Missfelder said “the worst part” was that the man's wife had to go through customs alone. “She stood there all alone and apathetic and had to go through all the formalities,” she added.
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Ms. Missfelder also said she regrets not trying to help. “I should have intervened, but I saw a doctor taking care of him, so I didn't want to get involved,” she said, noting that “the man looked so bad, I don't understand why the captain left.”
In a statement to the After, a Lufthansa spokesperson confirmed the incident. “Although immediate and extensive first aid measures were taken by the crew and a doctor on board, the passenger died during the flight,” the spokesperson said. “Our thoughts are with the family members of the deceased passenger. We also regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers of this flight,” she added.
Meanwhile, flight data showed the plane departed Bangkok at 11.50pm on Thursday and landed back in Thailand at 8.28am on Friday. The passengers reportedly had to wait two hours without any guidance from the airlines before they were finally able to book another flight to Germany, with a stopover in Hong Kong.