The Singapore Airlines flight that was hit by severe turbulence reportedly dropped 6,000 feet in a matter of minutes. CNA’s correspondents report from Bangkok, where SQ321 made an emergency landing pic.twitter.com/SHVJmF2Sax
— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) May 21, 2024
1 person has died and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from London (Heathrow) to Singapore encountered turbulence.
The plane, a Boeing 777-300ER, carried 211 passengers and 18 crew,
SQ321, which left London's Heathrow Airport at 10.38pm local time on Monday (May 20), was diverted to Bangkok on Tuesday. It landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3.45pm local time (4.45pm Singapore time).
18 individuals have been hospitalised. Another 12 are being treated in hospitals," said SIA in its Facebook post.
Relatives seeking information can call +65 6542 3311, said SIA, adding that a team from the airline is on its way to Bangkok.
Photos sent by a CNA reader show what appear to be scenes from SQ321. One photo shows the aircraft galley floor strewn with meal containers and a blanket.
Flight tracking data indicates that the plane experienced a 6,000-foot drop within four minutes, which is almost 1.8km.
From 4.06 am to 4.11am when the plane's altitude changed from 37,000ft to 31,000ft.
Singapore Airlines did not say at what point the injuries and death took place, but a passenger who spoke to Reuters said turbulence led to those not wearing seatbelts hitting overhead cabins.
After around 11 hours of flying time from take off in London, the aircraft sharply dropped from an altitude of around 11,300m to around 9,500m within just five minutes as it finished traversing the Andaman Sea and neared Thailand, according to FlightRadar 24 data.
“Suddenly, the aircraft started tilting up and there was shaking, so I started bracing … there was a dramatic drop so everyone … not wearing a seatbelt was launched into the ceiling,” Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on the flight told Reuters.
“Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented them, they hit the places where lights and masks were and broke straight through them,” he said.
