Severe turbulence occurred on a scheduled flight from London to Singapore. Dozens of people were injured and one died. An uninjured passenger recounts the “terrible experience”.
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, flight SQ321 from Heathrow, on the tarmac after requesting an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Rescue medical teams prepare to transfer the injured to a hospital near Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan province, Thailand.
Members of a rescue team argue after the London-Singapore flight was diverted to Bangkok.
Turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, flight SQ321 from Heathrow, on the tarmac after requesting an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Rescue medical teams prepare to transfer the injured to a hospital near Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan province, Thailand.
Members of a rescue team argue after the London-Singapore flight was diverted to Bangkok.
Are you in a hurry? blue News summarizes for you
- A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER encountered severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore.
- One passenger died and at least 54 others were injured, seven of them seriously.
- Andrew Davies recounted the horror flight on X, formerly Twitter. According to him, all uninjured passengers were wearing seat belts.
- According to Davies, the flight attendants were also injured.
A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 experienced severe turbulence during a flight from London to Singapore.
Data from the Flightradar platform indicates that the plane suddenly dropped 6,000 feet, almost 2,000 meters, above the western coast of Myanmar.
A 73-year-old Briton died in the accident. The man “probably” had a heart attack, the authorities announced at a press conference. In total, 53 people were injured, seven of them seriously.
Among the uninjured passengers was the Briton Andrew Davieswho recounted the “terrible experience” on X, the former Twitter.
AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit/KEYSTONE
The plane suddenly crashed
Davies is in a lounge area at Bangkok airport with other uninjured passengers. He reports that there was a “very slight warning” shortly before the turbulence.
The fasten seatbelt sign was turned on and Davies says he followed it immediately. “Then the plane just crashed.”
Luggage everywhere and many injured
Davis then says that passengers’ luggage was scattered around the plane and that coffee and water were spilled everywhere. «So many injured. Head lacerations, bleeding ears,” Davis writes.
A woman with a wound on her back screamed in pain: “I couldn’t help her and I only brought her some water.”
The deceased man’s wife was clamoring for a defibrillator for her husband. Another passenger was lying on the floor in the aisle. “I wish I could have done more to help,” Davies writes.
Saved by the seat belt?
Among the injured there were also flight attendants who “stoically did everything they could”.
One crew member said this was by far the most violent turbulence he had experienced in over 30 years. Bangkok’s emergency services responded quickly.
“Always wear your seat belt,” Davies writes. All the injured passengers, from what he understood, were not wearing seat belts, he reports.
dpa
