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A 73-year-old man died, and over 70 passengers were injured on Tuesday after a Singapore Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence.
Passengers aboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, which was flying from London to Singapore, recounted the terrifying experience. Dzafran Azmir, a Malaysian student on the flight, described how the Boeing 777-300R suddenly dropped at an altitude of 37,000 feet, causing passengers not wearing seatbelts to be thrown into the ceiling.
The turbulence led to an emergency landing in Bangkok. Azmir described the scene: “I saw people from across the aisle going completely horizontal, hitting the ceiling, and landing awkwardly. People were getting massive gashes in the head and concussions,” he told Reuters.
Eyewitness Accounts of the Incident
Andrew Davies, a British passenger, told “During the few seconds of the plane dropping, there was awful screaming and a loud thud.” Davies helped a woman with a head injury and added, “I was covered in coffee. It was incredibly severe turbulence.”
Another passenger, Jerry, said there was no warning before the plane plunged. “I hit my head on the ceiling, my wife did too. People walking around ended up doing somersaults,” the 68-year-old recalled.
Data and Emergency Response
Flightradar24 data indicated that the flight experienced more than a minute of extreme turbulence at 37,000 feet over Myanmar, with the aircraft rising and plunging multiple times. Singapore Airlines confirmed the incident, stating the flight encountered sudden extreme turbulence over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin.
Kittipong Kittikachorn, director of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, reported that most injuries were head-related. “I saw things lying everywhere and many aircrew injured with bruising,” he said. The airline reported that 18 passengers were hospitalized, but a local hospital treated 71 injured passengers.
Singapore Airlines CEO Mr. Phong expressed his condolences to the deceased’s family and apologized for the traumatic experience. “On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. We are very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through,” Mr. Phong said.
He assured that the airline is providing full support to the affected passengers and crew. A relief flight with 143 passengers and crew from SQ321 arrived in Singapore, while another 79 passengers and six crew members, including those receiving medical care, remained in Bangkok.
“Please be assured that Singapore Airlines is here to help and support you during this difficult time,” Mr. Phong added, emphasizing the airline’s cooperation with authorities in the investigation.
