A tragic incident occurred aboard a Singapore Airlines flight from London bound for Singapore.
Severe turbulence caused chaos mid-flight, resulting in one passenger losing their life and several others sustaining injuries.
The Boeing 777-300ER was forced to divert to Bangkok, where it made an emergency landing.
Flight SQ 321, carrying a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew members, experienced a sudden and drastic drop in altitude over the Bay of Bengal, according to flight tracking data.
“Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased,” it stated.
The airline added that it was working with Thai authorities to provide medical assistance to passengers, and was sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional help needed.
Thai authorities have despatched ambulances and emergency teams to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
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.
What occurred onboard the flight remains unclear.
According to one passenger who spoke to Reuters news agency, the aircraft abruptly began “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,” 28-year-old student Dzafran Azmir stated.
“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.”
Turbulence is commonly caused by aircraft flying through clouds, but there’s also “clear air” turbulence, which isn’t visible on a jet’s weather radar and can’t be predicted.
Aviation expert John Strickland told the BBC, “Injuries from severe turbulence are relatively rare in the context of millions of flights operated. However, severe turbulence can be dramatic and lead to severe injuries or sadly in this case a fatality.”
Flight crews are trained in how to respond to turbulence, and it’s recommended to keep seat belts loosely fastened throughout a flight, long or short.
Research suggests that climate change will make severe turbulence more likely in the future.
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