Singapore Airlines passenger dead after Boeing jet hits ‘severe turbulence’

A Singapore Airlines flight has made an emergency landing in Bangkok Tuesday following “severe turbulence” that left one person dead and others injured, the airline says. 

The Boeing 777-300ER plane was traveling from London to Singapore with 211 passengers and 18 crew onboard. 

Singapore Airlines said in a statement that the plane “encountered severe turbulence en-route” before diverting to Bangkok, Thailand. 

“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER,” it added. “Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.” 

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It also said “Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft” and that it is “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.” 

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.”

Airport staff prepare for the arrival of a Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok after it encountered “severe turbulence.” (Viral Press)

“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.

It’s unclear where the plane hit turbulence, but flight tracking data from the website FlightAware shows the aircraft quickly lost several thousand feet of altitude while traveling near Bangkok. 

Videos shared by Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok showed ambulances racing to the scene after the plane landed, according to The Associated Press. 

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 after takeoff, the Aviation Safety Network says.