1 dead, dozens injured after Singapore-bound flight hits turbulence

Devan Markham and Addy Bink

12 minutes ago

BANGKOK, Thailand (NewsNation) — One person is dead and over two dozen others were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence on Tuesday, forcing an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand.

“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board,” the airline posted on its social media accounts.

The statement added: “Singapore Airlines extends its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.”

According to the Associated Press, authorities have identified the victim as a 73-year-old British man who may have suffered a heart attack. However, this has not been confirmed, according to the Associated Press.

In a second update on Tuesday, Singapore Airlines reported that 18 people had been hospitalized and 12 were being treated in hospitals. Others were “examined and treated if necessary” at the airport.

The majority of passengers on board – including four from the US – were from Australia, the UK and New Zealand.

Flight SQ321 reportedly flew through a region of extreme tropical thunderstorms that caused severe turbulence and led to the emergency landing.

Tracking data collected by FlightRadar24 and analyzed by The Associated Press shows Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet.

The data shows that the Boeing 777-300ER suddenly and abruptly plummeted to 31,000 feet within about three minutes. The plane then remained at 31,000 feet for less than 10 minutes before diverting and landing in Bangkok less than half an hour later.

There have been several incidents in which passengers were injured after planes encountered severe turbulence recently.

In September, seven passengers and one crew member were hospitalized after their JetBlue flight from Ecuador to Florida experienced “sudden severe turbulence,” Nexstar’s WFLA reported. A month earlier, 11 people were hospitalized after a Delta Air Lines flight encountered severe turbulence while flying from Italy to Atlanta.

Last July, two passengers and two flight attendants were injured when their flight to Florida hit turbulence that caused the plane to drop about 5,000 feet in less than two minutes. A passenger on that flight told WFLA he saw several people “hit the ceiling.”

As Nexstar’s KXAN explains, there are four causes of turbulence: mechanical, thermal, pressure fronts and wind shear. To avoid injury from unexpected turbulence, the Federal Aviation Administration recommends that passengers remain seated with seat belts fastened throughout the flight.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.