One dead, ‘multiple injuries’ in SIA flight from London hit by severe turbulence
The 211 passengers and 18 crew on board are now in Bangkok, to where the flight was diverted
A BRITISH man has died and multiple people were injured on Monday (May 20) on board a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight which encountered severe turbulence as it made its way from London’s Heathrow Airport to Singapore.
The national carrier said in a Facebook post that flight SQ321 encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet, about 10 hours after departure. The river basin flows through Myanmar.
The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, landing there at 3.45 pm (4.45 pm in Singapore) on Tuesday.
“We can confirm that there are multiple injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER,” said SIA in its post at 8 pm on Tuesday. Airports of Thailand confirmed that the man who died was a 73-year-old Briton. Seven others were critically injured.
It specified that as at 7.50 pm Singapore time, 18 individuals had been hospitalised, and a further 12 were being treated in hospitals.
“The remaining passengers and crew are being examined and given treatment, where necessary, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok,” said the airline.
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There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
There were 41 passengers from Singapore on board the flight; 56 passengers were from Australia, 47 from the United Kingdom, and 16 from Malaysia. The other passengers were from Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Spain and the United States.
SIA said that it has offered 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,” it added.
It added that it is working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide necessary medical assistance to all passengers and crew. It is also sending a team to Bangkok to provide additional assistance.
A hotline has also been set up for relatives seeking information at 6542-3311.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday night that it has been in contact with SIA and the relevant Singapore and Thai authorities to coordinate assistance for the passengers of the flight and their families.
Officials from the Singapore embassy in Bangkok are at Suvarnabhumi Airport and the hospital to provide the necessary consular assistance to the affected Singaporeans and their next-of-kin, said the ministry.
The Bangkok Post reported that more than 10 ambulances were mobilised to help transport at least 20 injured passengers from the airport to Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok.
The news outlet quoted Thai immigration police as having said that medical personnel boarded the plane to assess the injuries. Some uninjured passengers were helped off the aircraft.
Separately, Singapore’s Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat said in a Facebook post that he was “deeply saddened” to learn about the incident.
He added that his ministry, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Changi Airport officials, as well as SIA staff are providing support to the affected passengers and their families.
In a social media post to mark the Vesak Day holiday on May 22, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong added that the Singapore authorities are working closely with their Thai counterparts to do all it can to support the SIA passengers and crew.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in a Facebook post that he was “greatly saddened” by the loss of life and injuries caused to several others on board the flight due to the severe turbulence.
Offering his condolences to the family of the deceased, he said: “We must hope and pray that the passengers and crew members who were injured are able to recover smoothly.”
The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said it is investigating the incident, and will be deploying investigators to Bangkok.
Meanwhile, aircraft manufacturer Boeing says it is in contact with Singapore Airlines and stands ready to offer support.
The last time fatalities occurred on an SIA flight was in October 2000, when a plane bound for Los Angeles from Singapore via Taiwan crashed on a closed runway in Taiwan. The incident killed 83 people.
According to aviation website Flight Global, the aircraft involved in the incident was delivered to SIA in 2008. It was converted to a temporary freighter during the Covid-19 pandemic, and sent into long-term storage in 2021. It returned to service last month.
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