What we know so far…
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A 73-year-old British man, who had a heart condition, died after severe turbulence on a London to Singapore flight. He was travelling with his wife, who has been taken to hospital.
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The Singapore Airlines flight diverted to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi airport just after 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT).
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The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said.
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Passengers onboard the Singapore Airlines plane told of a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling.
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The airline said 18 people were taken to hospital and a further 12 received treatment. At least 10 ambulances were deployed.
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Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told reporters seven people were in a critical condition at Srinakarin hospital.
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A further 23 passengers and one crew member had less severe injuries, he said. Kittikachorn said most injuries were from cuts to the head.
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Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 showed the Singapore Airlines flight cruising at an altitude of 37,000 ft. Just after 8am GMT, the Boeing 777 suddenly pitched down to 31,000 ft over the span of about three minutes.
Key events
Police officer ‘saw as many as 70 injured people’ from Singapore Airlines flight
Rebecca Ratcliffe
A local police officer at Samitivej Srinakarin hospital in Bangkok, where the injured were brought, said he had seen as many as 70 wounded people, including those with very minor conditions. The Guardian has not yet independently verified these figures.
Some patients have requested to be taken to another hospital. One man was recently brought out on a stretcher to be transferred via ambulance. Another was brought out in a wheelchair.
The authorities were focusing on providing emergency care before releasing data on the nationalities of those in critical condition, the officer said. However, it is expected that further information will be given later tonight.
Boeing – the US-based manufacturer of the plane involved in the incident – has said it is in contact with Singapore Airlines and “stand ready” to offer support.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew,” Boeing added in its post on X.
In the UK, Joji Waites, head of flight safety at pilots’ union Balpa, said:
Balpa sends its thoughts to the family and friends of those affected by this event.
Aircraft are designed and certificated to withstand flight in severe turbulence, and pilots are trained in how to anticipate potential turbulence encounters based on weather forecasts and the aircraft’s onboard technology.
Route weather forecasts provide a general prediction of when turbulence is likely to occur, but they often cannot reflect actual conditions in sufficient detail to enable pilots to avoid specific instances of turbulence.
It is important, therefore, for aircraft occupants to have their seatbelts fastened while seated should any unexpected encounters occur and comply promptly with ‘fasten seatbelt’ signs when asked to do so.
Fatalities caused by turbulence are extremely rare on international scheduled flights, but severe injuries have occurred – more often to crew. There have been fatalities on smaller private jets, although usually only when the turbulence has led to a crash.
We mentioned earlier that reports from airline-tracking websites suggested the flight may have dropped about 1,800 metres (5,900ft) when it flew into rough air, after traversing the Andaman Sea nearing Thailand.
A spokesperson for FlightRadar 24 said in regard to the data showing a drop in height: “Our initial thinking is the turbulence event is prior to the standard descent from 37,000 to 31,000 feet. That appears to just be a flight level change in preparation for landing.”
Here is a picture from inside Singapore Airlines flight SQ321:
‘There was an awful screaming’ – passenger describes the scene onboard
BBC 5 live has spoken to a passenger onboard the Singapore Airlines flight.
“I was covered in coffee,” Andrew, from London, said. “During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud.”
Andrew, who said passengers were being kept in a special part of the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, added that once the turbulence had settled he helped a woman “screaming in agony” who had a “gash on her head”.
What we know so far…
-
A 73-year-old British man, who had a heart condition, died after severe turbulence on a London to Singapore flight. He was travelling with his wife, who has been taken to hospital.
-
The Singapore Airlines flight diverted to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi airport just after 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT).
-
The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said.
-
Passengers onboard the Singapore Airlines plane told of a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling.
-
The airline said 18 people were taken to hospital and a further 12 received treatment. At least 10 ambulances were deployed.
-
Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told reporters seven people were in a critical condition at Srinakarin hospital.
-
A further 23 passengers and one crew member had less severe injuries, he said. Kittikachorn said most injuries were from cuts to the head.
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Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 showed the Singapore Airlines flight cruising at an altitude of 37,000 ft. Just after 8am GMT, the Boeing 777 suddenly pitched down to 31,000 ft over the span of about three minutes.
Rebecca Ratcliffe
Suvarnabhumi airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn said:
I confirm the death toll is one person … we learned he had a heart condition. The death is now to be subject to an autopsy but we think it could be caused by a heart attack. The deceased was a British national, 73 years old.
The police has taken over the case and the body will be sent to autopsy department then they will contact the embassy.
“The incident happened during meal service, about two to three hours before the flight was due to land in Singapore,” he added.
“It was probably during breakfast service. Most of the passenger had fastened their seatbelts – I don’t know about the deceased passenger as the wife has been taken to the hospital.”
Person who died on Singapore Airlines flight was British
Rebecca Ratcliffe
The deceased passenger was a 73-year-old British man who had a heart condition, the general manager of Airports of Thailand has confirmed. He was travelling with his wife.
Kittipong Kittikachorn confirmed that one person has died. Seven people are in a critical condition, he says. A further 23 people, including some crew members, have less severe injuries.
He confirmed the cause of the incident was turbulence.
Kittikachorn said the wife of the deceased passenger is at the hospital.
‘There were lots of passengers who couldn’t walk and we rescued them from the plane,’ Kittikachorn added.
“I’m sorry but we will not be discussing the investigation in this press conference but I can say that the air pockets must be quite severe from looking inside the plane.”
“Investigations are ongoing,” Kittikachorn said. “About 100 out of the roughly 200 passengers will be ready to travel on to Singapore tonight. They are having dinner now and Thai Airways will take them the rest of the way later.”
No further deaths on Singapore Airlines flight
Kittikachorn has confirmed that there are no further deaths apart from the one person announced earlier.
The news conference has begun.
Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of management company Airports of Thailand, said: “Most injuries are from cuts to the head”, adding that “30 people on the flight received small injuries”.
A news conference is due to begin shortly. Stay here for the latest updates.
Cordelia Lynch, Sky New’s Asia correspondent, has shared a video on X that appears to show a large dent inside the plane and the captain announcing the diversion to Bangkok.
This video appears to show damage inside the plane and the Captain announcing a diversion to Bangkok. Flight #SQ321 was travelling from London to Singapore. https://t.co/6ZJmSRGjPK
— Cordelia Lynch (@CordeliaSkyNews) May 21, 2024
