A 63-year-old German man tragically lost his life on a Lufthansa flight from Thailand to Germany last Thursday, leaving fellow passengers in shock as he bled profusely from his mouth and nose. The man, whose identity remains undisclosed, boarded the Airbus A380 in Bangkok shortly before midnight, appearing visibly unwell with symptoms such as rapid breathing and cold sweats, as reported by Karin Missfelder, a nursing specialist at University Hospital in Zurich, who was also on the flight.
Missfelder noted that the man’s wife initially attributed his ill health to the rush to catch the flight. However, Missfelder, alarmed by the man’s condition, alerted a flight attendant, suggesting that a doctor should examine him. A young Polish man responded to the call, checking the man’s pulse and asking about his wellbeing, before declaring him fit to continue the flight.
Despite the initial assessment, the man’s condition rapidly deteriorated. He was given chamomile tea, but soon began to spit blood into a bag held by his wife. The situation escalated as blood started to pour from his mouth and nose, causing panic among the passengers. Martin Missfelder, Karin’s husband, described the scene as “absolute horror.”
The man reportedly lost a significant amount of blood, some of which splattered the plane’s walls. Flight attendants attempted to perform CPR for about half an hour, despite Missfelder’s assertion that the situation was hopeless. The man eventually succumbed to his condition, and his death was announced by the captain, leading to a chilling silence on board. The flight was then redirected back to Thailand, and the man’s body was moved to the plane’s galley.
A Lufthansa spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating that despite the crew and an onboard doctor’s immediate and comprehensive first aid measures, the passenger unfortunately passed away during the flight. The spokesperson expressed condolences to the deceased passenger’s relatives and regretted the inconvenience caused to other passengers.
Upon landing back in Thailand at 8:28 a.m. Friday, passengers reportedly had to wait for two hours without any guidance from Lufthansa before being rebooked on another flight to Germany, with a stopover in Hong Kong. Missfelder expressed her regret for not intervening in the situation, especially as the man’s wife had to navigate customs alone.