More than 20 passengers aboard a Singapore Airlines flight experienced severe turbulence and sustained head and spinal injuries. They were subsequently hospitalized in critical condition.
A hospital in Bangkok reported that more than 20 passengers, including a young child, from a Singapore Airlines flight that faced severe turbulence were hospitalized with critical head and spinal injuries. These individuals were taken to a hospital in Bangkok after the London-bound plane made an emergency landing. The turbulence caused the aircraft to plummet 6,000 feet in roughly three minutes, resulting in the death of a 73-year-old British man and injuring several others.
Singapore Airlines stated that 46 passengers and two crew members remain under medical treatment in Bangkok. Witnesses informed the BBC, a British news website, that the abrupt drop in the plane’s altitude led to unrestrained passengers hitting the ceiling.
At Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, 41 passengers are being treated, with half of them in the intensive care unit. Hospital director Adinun Kittiratanapaibool revealed that 22 passengers have spinal injuries, and six are in critical condition with life-threatening wounds. Tragically, the incident resulted in the death of 73-year-old British passenger Geoff Kitchen, who reportedly suffered a heart attack, according to a BBC report.
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Among those injured, six sustained skull and brain injuries, and 13 were hospitalized due to muscular and soft tissue damage. Seventeen individuals required surgery, with nine of these procedures addressing spinal injuries. The youngest patient is a two-year-old child being treated for a concussion. The patients include 10 Britons, nine Australians, seven Malaysians, and four Filipinos, with the oldest being an 83-year-old.
The Boeing 777-300 with 211 passengers and 18 crew members hit significant turbulence at an altitude of 37,000 feet above the Irrawaddy Basin in the Indian Ocean, necessitating a diversion to Bangkok. Subsequently, another aircraft transported the rest of the passengers and crew to Singapore.
Singapore Airlines’ CEO, Goh Choon Phong, publicly apologized, conveying profound regret to those impacted by the turbulence. The government of Singapore has pledged a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
