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1 dead, many injured in severe turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight from London
One person died and several sustained injuries after a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence.
One person died and several sustained injuries after a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence due to bad weather conditions. Singapore Airlines confirmed in a Facebook post that its flight SQ321 was en route from Heathrow Airport to Singapore when it experienced severe turbulence, forcing an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:45pm local time.
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board,” the airline said.
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Thai immigration police said that medical personnel have boarded the plane to assess injuries, but cannot confirm the number and some uninjured passengers were deplaned.
The name of the deceased passenger has not been released.
“Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft. 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,” Singapore Airlines added.
The airlines later informed that 18 individuals were hospitalised and another 12 were being treated in hospitals.
“The remaining passengers and crew are being examined and given treatment, where necessary, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok,” it said.
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Upon landing, emergency crews from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital were on site to assist and transfer injured passengers for medical treatment. Videos posted on the LINE messaging platform by Suvarnabhumi Airport showed a line of ambulances streaming to the scene, according to The Associated Press.
Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 and analysed by AP showed the Singapore Airlines flight cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet. Just after 0800 GMT, the plane suddenly and sharply pitched down to 31,000 feet over the span of some three minutes. The aircraft remained at 31,000 feet for just under 10 minutes before rapidly descending and landing in Bangkok in just under half an hour.
This incident marks the first fatality for Singapore Airlines since October 2000, when a plane crashed on a closed runway during takeoff in Taiwan, resulting in the deaths of 83 people. According to the Aviation Safety Network, Singapore Airlines has experienced a total of seven accidents to date.
With inputs from agencies
