A plane which hit severe turbulence that left one person dead and more than 30 injured descended thousands of feet in seconds. Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand following the incident.
The Boeing 777 plane left the UK on Monday evening at 22:17 local time. However, it had to make an emergency landing in Thailand after hitting severe turbulence. It should have landed at Singapore Changi Airport at 6.10 pm local time.
Images showed ambulances waiting on the ground next to the plane. According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft plunged more than 6,000 feet in less than three minutes.
The data show the plane was cruising at 37,000 feet, when shortly after 8am GMT it plunged down to 31,000 feet in around three minutes. Passenger Dzafran Azmir, 28, told Reuters: “Suddenly the aircraft starts 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 seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.
“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.”
The aircraft was carrying a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew, the airline said in a statement. It read: “Singapore Airlines flight #SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 1545hrs local time on 21 May 2024.
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft.”
