Seven people are critically ill and one British man has died following a terrifying flight from London to Singapore that experienced extreme turbulence.
The weather forced the Singapore Airlines plane to descend 6,000 feet in a matter of minutes, throwing passengers spectacularly into the air. Just before 4 p.m. local time, the pilots were then compelled to make an emergency landing in Thailand.
The 73-year-old man’s death from what appeared to be a heart attack was confirmed by Thai authorities, and his wife was admitted to the hospital as well.
According to Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, 30 additional passengers and crew members have also sustained injuries.
Social media users have shared pictures of food scattered all over the floor and ambulances parked outside the aircraft; one distressed traveller claimed that people were thrown into the ceiling.
Additional photos displayed an air hostess with blood all over her face and the inside of the aircraft with oxygen masks and debris all over the place.
With 47 British nationals on board, the flight took off from Heathrow airport on Monday evening before encountering inclement weather. The airline said in a statement that they had to declare a medical emergency after experiencing “sudden extreme turbulence” at 37,000 feet over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar.
Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student travelling with the aircraft, said, “Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.”
“Some individuals struck the areas where lights and masks are located and broke right through it, while others banged their heads on the baggage cabins above and dented it.”
“People fell to the floor, people’s shoes flew about, my phone flew out of my hand and went a couple aisles to the side,” he continued.
“We found people just on the ground not able to get up, which hurt the crew and people inside the restrooms the most.” Numerous head and spinal injuries were reported, according to Azmir. “I don’t think they realised how horrible it was.”
The airline confirmed that there were injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER in a Facebook statement. There were eighteen crew members and 211 passengers on board.
“Singapore Airlines extends its sincere condolences to the deceased’s family.
Our top goal is to help every passenger and member of the crew on board the aircraft as much as we can. In addition to sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance required, we are collaborating with the Thai local authorities to provide the required medical assistance.
FlightRadar24’s tracking data revealed the aircraft was cruising at 37,000 feet. The Boeing 777 abruptly and violently pitched down to 31,000 feet over the course of just after 8 a.m. BST.
Ambulances and emergency teams were sent by Thai authorities to the airport, and pictures posted on social media depict medical professionals encircling the aircraft.
According to Singapore’s Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, the government will help the travellers and their families.
He wrote on Facebook, “I am deeply saddened to learn about the incident onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore.”
Severe tropical thunderstorms are currently affecting the area, which is why it landed at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
The most frequent kind of accidents are those caused by turbulence, per a National Transportation Safety Board study from 2021.
The agency discovered that, between 2009 and 2018, turbulence was the cause of over one-third of recorded airline accidents, the majority of which resulted in one or more serious injuries but no damage to the aircraft.
Singapore Airlines is regarded as one of the top airlines in the world and has continuously maintained an excellent safety record. The only incident involving Singapore Airlines that resulted in fatalities happened in 2000 when a Boeing 747 “Jumbo jet” was taking off from Taipei.
When the pilots unintentionally tried to take off from a closed runway, they crashed into construction machinery. 96 people survived out of the 179 passengers and crew that were on board.
On June 28, 2018, a flight from Singapore to Heathrow was disrupted by intense turbulence over the Bay of Bengal, resulting in two broken legs for the cabin crew of British Airways.
