One passenger killed, dozens injured as Singapore-bound Boeing plane hits massive turbulence

At least one passenger was killed and 30 injured as aLondon to Singapore flight of Singapore Airlines was hit by massive turbulence mid-air. The plane, Singapore-bound Boeing 777-300ER, had to be diverted to Bangkok.

"Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased," the airline said in a statement. The ill-fated passenger has been identified as a 73-year-old British national.

Seriously, air turbulence atau gelora udara makin sering terjadi.

Banyak Flights aku naik memang terkena, tapi tak seteruk yang ini, sampai seorang maut (warga British lekaki berusia 70 tahun).

Flight SQ321 dari London ke Singapore terpaksa mendarat di Bangkok.

Pesawat Boeing… pic.twitter.com/pchtFuCfel — Hezeri Samsuri (@HezeriSamsuri) May 21, 2024

A total of211 passengers and 18 crew were on board the plane, the statement added.

The plane requested permission to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok and landed thereshortly before 4 pm local time.

Several ambulances could be seen standing on the tarmac, prepared to treat passengers.

"Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 dropped quickly from 38,000 feet to 31,000 feet. The plane maintained its level for about 11 minutes and then began descending," the Thai Armed Force said in a post on X.

เดาว่านี่คือช่วงเวลาที่เครื่องตกหลุมอากาศเหนือเมียนมาราว 15.07 #สิงคโปร์แอร์ไลน์ เที่ยวบิน SQ321 หล่นลงมาอย่างรวดเร็วจาก 3.8 หมื่นฟุตมาที่ 3.1 หมื่นฟุต เครื่องบินรักษาระดับอีกราว 11 นาที และเริ่มลดระดับลงพร้อมเปิด Squawk 7700 ในเวลา 15.25 เพื่อแจ้งเหตุฉุกเฉินขอลงจอดที่สุวรรณภูมิ pic.twitter.com/XYAiDBJrXD — thaiarmedforce (@ThaiArmedForce) May 21, 2024

Singapore has now announced it willsendinvestigators to Bangkok.

Boeing also issued a statement following the fatal incident. It said, "We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew."

Passengers on the flight later described the horrifying ordeal to news agency Reuters.

Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student passenger, said: "Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling."

“Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it,” he said.

Deaths rare

According to aviation experts, deaths by turbulence on flight are "extremely rare".

The plane was flying over a tropical area,where thunderstorms are very common. These thunderstorms can sometimes causeturbulence, which may cause injuries to passengers not wearing seat belts.

However, aircraft are designed in a way to stand such turbulence incidents.

"Singapore Airlines aircraft is designed to withstand severe amounts of turbulence,”Andrew Charlton, director of Aviation Advocacy firm was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

(With inputs from agencies)