Singapore Airlines Flight en route from the UK to Singapore experienced severe turbulence over Myanmar, resulting in dozens of injuries and one fatality. Following an emergency landing in Bangkok, 131 passengers and 12 crew members have arrived in Singapore on Wednesday morning via a rescue flight.
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft was originally carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members. The turbulence caused a sudden drop in altitude of 1,800 meters within 5 minutes, leading to severe turbulence where some passengers even hit the ceiling of the cabin.
A 73-year-old British passenger suspected to have suffered a heart attack died, and at least 30 people were injured.
A 28-year-old student, Dzafran Azmir, told Reuters, “I saw people on the other side of the aisle being thrown up, hitting the ceiling, and then coming crashing down heavily. People had massive head wounds, and some suffered concussions.”
Photos from inside the aircraft show cracked panels above the passenger cabin, oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling, and scattered luggage on the floor. A passenger mentioned that some people’s heads hit the lights above the seats, causing panels to break.
131 passengers and 12 crew members have departed from Bangkok and arrived at Singapore Changi Airport before 5 a.m. local time. Currently, 79 passengers and 6 crew members remain in Thailand, including those needing medical treatment and their families.
Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased in a video statement.
The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of Singapore is investigating the incident, with assistance from the United States’ National Transportation Safety Board.
Goh Choon Phong mentioned that the aircraft suddenly encountered severe turbulence, prompting the pilot to declare a medical emergency and divert the flight to Bangkok.
Singapore Airlines noted that about 10 hours into the flight, the turbulence occurred over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar. Turbulence can have various causes, and this incident may have involved clear-air turbulence that is difficult to detect.
Singapore Airlines is regarded as one of the world’s top airlines and has not experienced any major accidents in recent years.
In 2000, Singapore Airlines faced a tragedy at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport due to poor weather conditions from a typhoon, resulting in 83 fatalities among the 179 people aboard.