A British man, aged 73, has tragically died, and more than 30 passengers sustained injuries during severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore. The Boeing 777-300ER, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was forced to divert and make an emergency landing in Bangkok at 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT), authorities reported.
The sudden drop experienced by the aircraft resulted in chaos inside the cabin, with passengers and objects hurled through the air. Singapore Airlines expressed its deepest condolences regarding the death of the man, whose identity remains undisclosed. Preliminary investigations suggest the cause of death was likely a heart attack. The man’s wife has also been hospitalized; however, her condition has not been released.
On the ground, passengers, including those injured, have been accommodated in a designated area of the Bangkok airport. Among them was Andrew from London, who recounted his ordeal to BBC Radio 5 Live: “I was covered in coffee,” he said. “During the few seconds of the plane dropping, there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud.” After the turbulence subsided, Andrew assisted a woman who was “screaming in agony” from a head injury.
Another passenger, 28-year-old student Dzafran Azmir, told Reuters about the harrowing moments when the aircraft abruptly tilted and shook. “So I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling,” he said. The impact was so severe that some passengers dented the overhead baggage compartments and broke through panels holding emergency equipment.
Meanwhile, a concerned mother, Allison Barker, relayed a distressing message she received from her son, Josh, who was en route to Bali: “I don’t want to scare you, but I’m on a crazy flight. The plane is making an emergency landing… I love you all.” It was a nerve-wracking two hours before she heard from him again. Josh sustained minor injuries and was found on the floor after apparently blacking out, a situation that has left his mother worried about potential long-term psychological effects.
In total, 31 individuals from the flight were admitted to various hospitals following the incident, highlighting the unpredictable nature of air travel and the profound impact such events can have on passengers and their families.