One passenger was killed and perhaps dozens more injured on a Singapore Airlines flight from London after the plane encountered severe turbulence, the airline said Tuesday.
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER,” the airline said. “We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed.”
The widebody aircraft with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board was traveling from London Heathrow and diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after encountering the turbulence. Unverified photos posted on social media showed food and other loose items strewn across the cabin floor. The aircraft took off from London at 10:38pm local time on Monday, according to FlightRadar24.
Singapore’s Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said the government would provide assistance to the passengers and their families. “I am deeply saddened to learn about the incident onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore,” he posted in a statement on Facebook.
A man named Andrew Davies said he was a passenger on the flight and identified the dead passenger as a male. In a post on X, he said: “I was on that flight and helped as much as I could. Those not injured (including me) are in a holding area at Bangkok airport. My heart goes out to the gentleman who lost his life and his poor wife. Awful experience.” He also said in an earlier post: “Lots of people injured – including the air stewards who were stoic and did everything they could. Bangkok emergency services quick to respond. Very little warning. The seatbelt sign came on, I put on my seatbelt straightaway then the plane just dropped.”
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