Singapore Airlines: A passenger died after severe turbulence on a London-Singapore flight

CNN
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One person was killed and 30 others were injured on board a Singapore Airlines plane Severe disturbance on Tuesday on a flight from London to Singapore, the airline said.

The Boeing 777-300ER was diverted to Bangkok, according to a post on Singapore Airlines’ Facebook page. The airline said that a number of people were injured, without specifying their number. She added that 211 passengers and 18 crew members were on board the plane.

Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikashorn said on Tuesday that the only person to have died was a 73-year-old British man.

The flight landed in Bangkok at 3:45pm local time (4:45am ET) on Tuesday.

“As of 1950 Singapore time on 21 May 2024, 18 people have been hospitalized. A subsequent update provided by Singapore Airlines said a further 12 were being treated in hospitals.

“The remaining passengers and crew members are being examined and receiving treatment, where necessary, at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport,” the company said in its post.

Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam issued a statement on his social media accounts, in which he expressed his “condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased.”

“We do not have details of those affected, but we know that government ministries and agencies, as well as SIA, are doing their best to support all those affected and are working with the authorities in Bangkok, where the plane was diverted to,” Shanmugaratnam said.

Singaporean Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said in a statement posted on social media that he was “deeply saddened when he learned of the accident.”

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“Ministry of Transport, Singapore, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Changi Airport officials as well as SIA [Singapore Airlines] He said that employees are providing support to the affected passengers and their families.

Turbulence occurs when an aircraft flies through colliding air bodies moving at widely different speeds.

In mild to moderate turbulence, passengers may feel pressure on their seat belts, and loose items may move around the cabin.

But in severe cases, turbulence can throw passengers around the cabin, causing serious injury and sometimes death.

In March 2023, severe disturbance On a private plane It led to the death of a former White House official, just days after seven people were transferred to hospitals after clashes Separate commercial flight Hit a huge turmoil.

In July 2023, seven people were injured on a Hawaiian Airlines flight to Sydney, Australia, when the plane encountered severe turbulence, and 36 people They were infected on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Arizona to Honolulu in December 2022, and 20 people were taken to emergency rooms.

A September 2022 study predicts that clear-air turbulence will increase significantly around the world by 2050-2080, especially along the busiest aviation routes, and that the strongest types of turbulence will increase even more.

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.