Ironically, it may have indeed been a pleasant death, if you count unconsciousness. The explosive blast that broke up the ship could easily have caused unconsciousness. And if that wasn't enough, the wind blast and lack of oxygen at that altitude would also create unconsciousness.
Strange that they weren't wearing pressure suits - if they had to use parachutes, the suits would have saved them from serious injury or death. Maybe that's why the survivor is so badly hurt.
The guy parachuting out is the real bizarre part. You can’t breath over 14k feet.
That is the design, no pressure suits. I guess they had a lot of confidence in the capsule design integrity.
It’s possible to bail out at high altitude. Most military style parachute rigs have small Oxygen bottles and an altimeter so you free fall until you get around 14k feet even if you are unconscious.