One Dead And At Least 30 Injured After Severe Turbulence Hits London-Singapore Flight (image-pixabay/ Mr_Worker)
One person died and several sustained injuries after a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore underwent severe turbulence due to bad weather conditions.
The Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London Heathrow was diverted to Bangkok and landed at 3:45 pm local time on May 21, the airline said.
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board. Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased,” the airline said in a statement.
The name of the deceased passenger has not been revealed.
Emergency crews from Samitivej Srinakarain Hospital arrived on the site to help and transfer the injured passengers for medical treatment after the plane landed. Over 10 ambulances arrived at the airport to transport at least the injured passengers to the hospital.
“Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed,” read the statement from the airlines.
Singapore Airlines flight #SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 1545hrs local time on 21 May 2024.
We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on…
— Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) May 21, 2024
Chee Hong Tat, the transport minister of Singapore, said that the government would provide assistance to passengers and their families.
According to airline tracking websites, the Singapore Airlines flight was cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet when, around 0800 GMT, the aircraft suddenly pitched down to 31,000 within a span of three minutes. The plane maintained its altitude for less than ten minutes before forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok within half an hour.
Meanwhile, photos and videos of the situation inside during and after the turbulence surfaced online.
Severe turbulence on #SingaporeAirlines flight from London to Singapore results in 1 death and 30 injured. #SQ321
Praying for the safety and prosperity of the passengers and crew. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/PADJkhtI71 pic.twitter.com/PH2tztdFlZ— Rajni (@RajniRajni2210) May 21, 2024
In October 2000, a Singapore aircraft crashed on a closed runway during takeoff in Taiwan, killing 83 people. Since then, this is the first fatality for the airline firm. As per the Aviation Safety Network, the airline company has faced seven accidents in total to date.
