CURRENTLY trending on X (formerly Twitter) is an incident of extreme airplane turbulence that caused the death of a passenger and injuries to dozens of others.
The incident affected passengers of Singapore Airlines flight Boeing 777-300 ER from London to Singapore on Tuesday. According to the airline, the plane was about 10 hours into the flight—over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin—when the extreme turbulence hit.
Carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, the flight had left London’s Heathrow airport around 10:30 p.m. to Singapore’s Changi Airport. However, due to the extreme occurrence, the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand at 3:45 p.m.
A short footage of the incident was posted by X user @stillgray depicting the terrifying incident.
At least 71 people were injured, six of whom were in a severe condition and were rushed to the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok. The injured passengers came from Malaysia, the UK, New Zealand, Spain, US, Indonesia, Iceland, Myanmar, South Korea, Germany, India, and Ireland. Some passengers sustained broken arms.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) had also confirmed that there were 5 Filipinos among the passengers of the flight who had also been injured. However, their conditions are yet to be determined.
The agency also stated that the Department of Migrant Workers Office in Singapore is working closely with the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport authorities, and airline officials to know the Filipino passengers’ status.
According to a statement by the airline, the plane experienced sudden extreme turbulence at 37,000 feet while they were over the Irrawaddy Basin.
Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said that the “airline is providing all possible assistance and support” to the passengers’ families.
“On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased passenger. We also deeply apologize for the trauma experienced by all passengers and crew members on this flight,” he said.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s Ministry of Transportation announced that they are investigating the incident involving flight SQ321. The US National Transportation Safety Board is sending personnel to Singapore to help with the investigation.
