One Dead as Singapore Airlines Flight Hit by Severe Turbulence.

By Caroline Ameh

One person has died , and numerous others have been injured on board a Singapore Airlines flight originating from London, which encountered severe turbulence en route to Singapore on Tuesday.

The Singapore-bound Boeing 777-300ER, designated as Flight SQ 321, was forced to divert to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT) following the turbulent episode.

According to flight tracking data, the aircraft experienced a sudden drop of 6,000 feet (2,000m) within minutes after crossing the Bay of Bengal, plunging the passengers and crew into chaos.

In a statement, Singapore Airlines confirmed that the flight was carrying a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew members. “Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased,” the statement read.

Efforts to provide medical assistance to the injured passengers were swiftly initiated, with the airline collaborating with Thai authorities. A team was dispatched to Bangkok to offer additional support as needed.

Upon the aircraft’s arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, ambulances and emergency response teams were on standby to attend to the injured.

Expressing condolences, Singapore’s Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat pledged government assistance to the affected passengers and their families. “I am deeply saddened to learn about the incident onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore,” he wrote in a statement on Facebook.

Eyewitness accounts from passengers painted a harrowing picture of the ordeal. Twenty-eight-year-old student Dzafran Azmir recounted the terrifying moments, stating, “The aircraft suddenly started tilting up and there was shaking.” He continued, “So I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.”

Azmir described scenes of chaos as some passengers sustained injuries, with objects crashing down from overhead compartments. “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,” he added.

Aviation expert John Strickland emphasized the rarity of severe turbulence-related injuries amid the millions of flights operated annually. However, he acknowledged the potential severity of such incidents, stating, “Severe turbulence can be dramatic and lead to severe injuries or sadly in this case a fatality.”

Strickland highlighted the importance of flight crews’ training in responding to turbulence and reiterated airlines’ recommendations for passengers to keep their seat belts loosely fastened throughout flights, regardless of duration.

The incident underscores broader concerns regarding the anticipated increase in severe turbulence due to climate change, as indicated by recent research findings.