Singapore Airlines passenger dead after Boeing jet hits 'severe turbulence'
Singapore Airlines plane makes emergency landing in Bangkok
Emergency landing of a Boeing 777 in Thailand
A Singapore Airlines flight makes an emergency landing after reported extreme turbulence and one passenger dead. (Credit: Viral Press)
A Singapore Airlines flight has made an emergency landing in Bangkok Tuesday following "severe turbulence" that left one person dead and 30 others injured, the airline says.
The Boeing 777-300ER jet was heading from London to Singapore with 211 passengers and 18 crew onboard. Singapore Airlines said the plane, while traveling at 37,000 feet, "encountered severe turbulence en-route" over Burma before diverting to Bangkok, Thailand.
"Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. We deeply apologize for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight," it said. "We are providing all necessary assistance during this difficult time."
The airline said 30 people were injured as well and the flight had four Americans onboard.
AIR INDIA EXPRESS PLANE ENGINE CATCHES FIRE, FORCING EMERGENCY LANDING AT BANGALORE AIRPORT
The interior of Singapore Airline flight SQ321 is pictured after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday, May 21. ( / Reuters Photos)
The deceased passenger was identified by authorities as a 73-year-old British man, according to The Associated Press. His exact cause of death has not been released.
"I saw things lying everywhere and many air crew injured" Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn said during a press conference after the plane landed, according to Reuters.
Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old passenger onboard the flight, told Reuters that "Suddenly the aircraft [started] 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 a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling."
A passenger onboard the Singapore Airlines flight told Reuters that travelers were launched out of their seats when they encountered turbulence. (Reuters)
"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," Azmir added.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SINGY | SINGAPORE AIRL | 9.335 | -0.04 | -0.48% |
| BA | THE BOEING CO. | 156.54 | +1.10 | +0.71% |
Flight tracking data from the website FlightAware shows the aircraft quickly lost several thousand feet of altitude after traveling at 37,000 feet.
Videos shared by Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok showed ambulances racing to the scene after the plane landed, according to The Associated Press.
The interior of the Singapore Airlines plane is seen exposed after suffering damage caused by the turbulence. ( / Reuters Photos)
Boeing did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from FOX Business.
Ambulances are lined up in preparation for the arrival of the Singapore Airlines flight. (Viral Press)
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The last fatal accident involving a Singapore Airlines plane was in 2000, when 83 died in Singapore after an aircraft crashed shortly following takeoff, the Aviation Safety Network says.