A 73-year-old British man has died, likely from a heart attack, after turbulence on a London-Singapore flight, Thai officials have said.
Dozens more have been injured after passengers described people being “launched into the ceiling”.
Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from Heathrow was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok after the incident.
Seven others were critically injured and others left with more minor injuries – mainly to the head, said the head of the Thai airport.
The aircraft took off at 10.38pm UK time on Monday but had to divert to the Thai capital, landing at 3.45pm local time on Tuesday (9.45am UK time).
Pic: Reuters
It was cruising at 37,000ft (11,280m) before dropping 6,000ft (1,830m) in around three minutes, according to flight tracking data.
Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, told reporters one male passenger had died of cardiac arrest.
He said about 30 people were injured, including at least one member of the crew.
“Lots” of passengers couldn’t walk and had to be rescued from the aircraft, he added.
Some people with minor injuries have left the hospital, ready to travel back to Singapore, Mr Kittikachorn added.
“We’re looking after all the passengers,” he stressed.
The Boeing 777-300ER was forced to land in Bangkok. Pic: Pongsak Suksi/Reuters
Passenger Dzafran Azmir, 28, told Reuters news agency: “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.”
He added: “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.”
Pic: Reuters
Social media video showed ambulances lined up at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport.
Sky’s Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch, at the airport, said it’s believed as many as 30 people were injured – with local media reporting two people may have died.
“There’s some suggestion the flight hit an air pocket before it had to make this emergency landing,” she said.
“There are some images circulating on social media that show parts of the plane inside and a lot of scattered debris.”
Singapore Airlines said it was working with Thai authorities “to provide the necessary medical assistance” and sending a team to Bangkok to provide extra help.
“Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft”, it added.
Singapore is considered a standard-setter for the aviation industry and consistently tops airline awards.
Turbulence-related injuries are the most common type on passenger planes, according to a study by the US National Transportation Safety Board.
It found it was responsible for more than a third of accidents between 2009 and 2018, but no aircraft damage.
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