The Singapore Airlines flight diverted to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi airport just after 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT).
The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said.
Passengers onboard the Singapore Airlines plane told of a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling.
“During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud,” one passenger told BBC 5 Live.
The airline said 18 people were taken to hospital and a further 12 received treatment. At least 10 ambulances were deployed.
Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told reporters seven people were in a critical condition at Srinakarin hospital.
A further 23 passengers and one crew member had less severe injuries, he said. Kittikachorn said most injuries were from cuts to the head.
In a few hours, a Singapore Airlines plane travelling from Bangkok will land, carrying some passengers from SQ321 who were not injured and want to continue with their journey to Singapore, BBC News reported.
Singapore Airlines offered its “deepest condolences” to the family of the deceased.
The nationalities of the passengers are as follows: 56 from Australia, two from Canada, one from Germany, three from India, two from Indonesia, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five from the Philippines, 41 from Singapore, one from South Korea, one from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and four from the United States of America.
The statement said the plane encountered sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure. The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok, and landed at 15.45hrs local time on 21 May 2024.
Singapore flight. He was travelling with his wife, who has been taken to hospital.
The Singapore Airlines flight diverted to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi airport just after 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT).
The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said.
Passengers onboard the Singapore Airlines plane told of a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling.
“During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud,” one passenger told BBC 5 Live.
The airline said 18 people were taken to hospital and a further 12 received treatment. At least 10 ambulances were deployed.
Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told reporters seven people were in a critical condition at Srinakarin hospital.
A further 23 passengers and one crew member had less severe injuries, he said. Kittikachorn said most injuries were from cuts to the head.
In a few hours, a Singapore Airlines plane travelling from Bangkok will land, carrying some passengers from SQ321 who were not injured and want to continue with their journey to Singapore, BBC News reported.
Singapore Airlines plane travelling from Bangkok will land, carrying some passengers from SQ321 who were not injured and want to continue with their journey to Singapore, BBC News reports.Singapore Airlines and “stand ready” to offer support.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew,” Boeing added in its post on X.
We mentioned earlier that reports from airline-tracking websites suggested the flight may have dropped about 1,800 metres (5,900ft) when it flew into rough air, after traversing the Andaman Sea nearing Thailand.
A spokesperson for FlightRadar 24 said in regard to the data showing a drop in height: “Our initial thinking is the turbulence event is prior to the standard descent from 37,000 to 31,000 feet. That appears to just be a flight level change in preparation for landing.”
Singapore Airlines flight SQ321:
Singapore Airlines flight.
“I was covered in coffee,” Andrew, from London, said. “During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud.”
Andrew, who said passengers were being kept in a special part of the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, added that once the turbulence had settled he helped a woman “screaming in agony” who had a “gash on her head”.
Singapore flight. He was travelling with his wife, who has been taken to hospital.
The Singapore Airlines flight diverted to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi airport just after 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT).
The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said.
Passengers onboard the Singapore Airlines plane told of a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling.
The airline said 18 people were taken to hospital and a further 12 received treatment. At least 10 ambulances were deployed.
Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told reporters seven people were in a critical condition at Srinakarin hospital.
A further 23 passengers and one crew member had less severe injuries, he said. Kittikachorn said most injuries were from cuts to the head.
Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 showed the Singapore Airlines flight cruising at an altitude of 37,000 ft. Just after 8am GMT, the Boeing 777 suddenly pitched down to 31,000 ft over the span of about three minutes.
Source: theguardian.com
