German man dies mid-flight after losing 'liters of blood'
"It was absolute horror, everyone was screaming," a passenger and witness said
A passenger on board a recent Lufthansa flight from Thailand to Germany died during the flight after his fellow travellers watched in horror as blood gushed out of his mouth and nose, The New York Post reported.
Karin Missfelder, one of the passengers on board the flight, told Swiss German news outlet Blick that the unidentified German man, 63, boarded the Airbus A380 in Bangkok shortly before midnight visibly sick, with "cold sweats" and "breathing much too quickly".
According to Missfelder, who is a nursing specialist at University Hospital in Zurich, the man's wife initially claimed they had to rush to catch a flight, causing him to feel unwell.
However, she informed a flight attendant that he needed a doctor's examination after watching him for a few moments.
Then, a young Polish man responded and reportedly only asked the man how he was feeling, felt his pulse and said he was "ok".
"They gave him a little chamomile tea, but he already spit blood into the bag that his wife held out to him," said Missfelder's husband, Martin.
Soon, blood started spilling out of his mouth and nose.
"It was absolute horror, everyone was screaming," Martin said.
Martin claimed that the man lost "litres of blood", some of which splattered the walls. Flight attendants attempted CPR for half an hour, but Missfelder knew it was hopeless.
The staff carried the body into the plane's galley as it returned to Thailand.
"Although immediate and comprehensive first aid measures were taken by the crew and a doctor on board, the passenger died during the flight," a Lufthansa spokesperson confirmed in a statement.
"Our thoughts are with the relatives of the deceased passenger. We also regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers of this flight," the spokesperson said.
According to flight data, the plane left Bangkok at 11:50pm on Thursday and landed back in Thailand at 8:28am Friday.
Passengers had to wait two hours without any guidance from Lufthansa before being booked on another flight to Germany with a stopover in Hong Kong.
-
2025 was third-hottest year on record; will climate crises worsen in 2026?
-
2026 jobs outlook: Global unemployment hits 4.9%, decent work deficit widens
-
China defies Trump tariffs as trade surplus hits record $1.2T in 2025
-
Taiwan issues arrest warrant for OnePlus CEO Pete Lau
-
US formally approves Nvidia H200 chip exports to China: What conditions are in place?
-
No Name brand product recalled across Canada over E. coli contamination risk
-
Havana Syndrome: device linked to mystery condition under investigation by the Pentagon
-
Surrey shooting: Man found dead after shooting incident