Dozens of passengers are still hospitalised with skull, brain and spinal trauma, a Bangkok hospital chief has said, after a Singapore Airlines flight on 21 May 2024 dropped nearly 2,000 metres (6,000 feet) amid severe turbulence.
The Boeing 777 carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew was forced to land in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where over 80 people were initially sent to hospital, including a 2-year-old, who was treated for concussion, and an 83-year-old. 140 passengers made their onward journey the following evening.
Three Australians, six Brits, six Malaysians, two Singaporeans and individuals from Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Phillipines are among the passengers and two crew members of flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore who remain in hospital in Bangkok. Of those, 20 are being treated in intensive care and “need close attention” according to a press briefing from Adinun Kittiratanapaibool, Director of Bangkok’s Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital. A 73-year-old British man, named as Geoffrey Kitchen, died, due to a cardiac arrest, during the incident.
The patients still in hospital are being treated for a variety of spinal cord, brain and skull injuries after they were thrown so violently around the plane during the sudden turbulence that the cabin interior and overhead lockers were damaged. Photographs of the plane taken afterwards show oxygen masks dangling and parts of the cabin in disarray.
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
— Thai PBS World (@ThaiPBSWorld) May 21, 2024
After visiting some of the injured and their relatives, Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said the carrier had “facilitated the travel of their family members and loved ones to Bangkok and ensured that they are taken care of too.” His priority was their well-being and he wanted to “personally offer his support and to understand their concerns”, he said, adding “I have given them my personal assurance that we will take care of them during this difficult time. Our staff volunteers are here to provide each passenger with updates and the necessary assistance. On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I extend my deepest gratitude to everyone in Singapore, Thailand, and around the world, who have assisted us during this difficult time.”
International aviation investigators, including tech experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board, are helping to look into the incident. As commentators around the world note the likelihood of more such incidents as global warming worsens, the Association of Flight Attendants has highlighted the need for passengers to comply with crew instructions and keep their seatbelts fastened at all times to decrease the chance of injury during turbulence.
