At least one person has been confirmed dead and some 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines flight headed to the city nation suddenly lost altitude after hitting turbulence.
Flight SQ321, operated on a Boeing 777-300, departed London’s Heathrow airport at 10:38 pm, local time, on Monday evening. The journey, which usually takes a little under 13 hours, went smoothly for about 11 hours when the plane hit severe turbulence after crossing over the Bay of Bengal.
According to information from flight tracking platform, Flightradar24, in only a matter of minutes, the plane dropped from a cruising altitude of almost 11,278 metres to 9,449 metres. The plane was diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where it landed at 3:45 pm local time (9:45 am UK time, on Tuesday).
The sudden loss of altitude sent passengers who were not wearing their seatbelts flying through the cabin, hitting their heads on the overhead compartments. “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”, Passenger Dzafran Azmir told Reuters.
The incident caused a 73-year-old British man onboard to have a cardiac arrest and pass away before the plane landed, Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn has confirmed. Around 30 others, including one crew member, were injured and transported to the hospital for treatment while the remaining of the 211 passengers and 18 crew “are being examined and given treatment, where necessary”, at the airport, Singapore Airlines said in a statement.
Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it.
Dzafran Azmir told Reuters
A video clip believed to be taken inside the Singapore Airlines aircraft after it was hit by severe turbulence and was forced to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport today. pic.twitter.com/b5t8VSOIz8
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“Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. We deeply apologise for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight. We are providing all necessary assistance during this difficult time”, the airline said. “We are working with our colleagues and the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary assistance. A Singapore Airlines team is on the way to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed.”
Although turbulence does not usually cause serious injuries, it remains the primary cause of injuries on a plane, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board. However, in the rare cases, like this one, when air disturbances are particularly high, the damage can be substantial and, with climate change predicted to increase the frequency and severity of turbulences, wearing the seatbelt at all times might soon become a requirement.
