A passenger died, and 30 more were injured, after severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore
Flight SQ321 from London to Singapore had to divert to Thailand after encountering severe turbulence.
Pongsak Suksi/Handout via REUTERS
- A 73-year-old flying from London to Singapore has died after severe turbulence on board.
- The incident took place on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, which left the UK Monday night.
- 30 passengers were injured in the turbulence, the airline said in a statement.
A Singapore Airlines passenger has died after a flight encountered severe turbulence, the carrier announced Tuesday.
Flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore took off on Monday night local time, but the Boeing 777 diverted to Bangkok 11 hours into the journey, per Flightradar24.
The deceased passenger was a 73-year-old British man with a heart condition, the general manager of Airports of Thailand, Kittipong Kittikachorn, said in a press conference.
He added that seven people are in a critical condition at the hospital.
The airline said a total of 30 people were injured, 18 of whom were hospitalized. It added there were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
It's the second fatal incident in the airline's 77-year history, after a plane attempted to take off on the wrong runway in 2000. Singapore Airlines is often regarded as one of the world's best carriers — one of just 10 to be ranked five stars by Skytrax.
"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," Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on board the flight told Reuters.
"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 added.
Sky News obtained pictures of the aftermath on board, showing damaged parts hanging from the ceiling, food strewn about the galley, and a bloodied passenger.
"Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased," the airline said in the statement. "Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft."
Boeing said it is in contact with Singapore Airlines and "stand ready to support them."
"We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew," the planemaker added.
Severe turbulence can often result in injuries but deaths are extremely rare.
Last month, an Air New Zealand passenger said he broke his leg due to turbulence and had to endure the rest of the six-and-a-half hour flight in pain. And in December, 14 people received medical attention after severe turbulence on an Emirates Airbus A380.
Were you on board Flight SQ321? Reach out to this reporter at psyme@businessinsider.com.