A packed Boeing 777 passenger jet has plummeted for a number of minutes in extreme turbulence before making an emergency landing in Thailand.
One person has died and dozens more were injured on the flight from London to Singapore on Tuesday morning.
The Boeing 777 plane operated by Singapore Airlines left the UK’s Heathrow Airport on Monday at 10.17 pm local time.
The plane had 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
However, flight SQ321 experienced severe turbulence while flying close to Myanmar airspace in a region currently being battered by extreme tropical thunderstorms.
After around 11 hours of flying time from take off in London, the aircraft sharply dropped from an altitude of around 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within just five minutes.
The incident occurred as the plane finished traversing the Andaman Sea and neared Thailand.
Terrified passengers have described how they had little warning to put their seatbelts on before the aircraft suddenly dropped.
Those not wearing seatbelts were “launched into the ceiling,” one said, their heads slamming into the overhead luggage containers.
The plane – registered 9V-SWM – was diverted to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok where it made an emergency landing at 15.45 pm local time, the airline announced on its Facebook page.
It had been scheduled to land at the Singapore Changi Airport at 6.10 pm local time.
Ambulances were pictured on the tarmac in Bangkok next to the plane, with emergency service workers seen carrying at least one person away in a stretcher.
Local media reports that one passenger has been confirmed dead and around 30 others were injured, leading to the emergency landing.
It was not immediately clear where the person who died in the incident was from.
One man who said he was on the flight described the incident in posts on X.
Andrew Davies, from Lewisham, London, wrote that he and other passengers who were not injured in the turbulence were currently waiting in a holding area at the airport.
“Lots of people injured – including the air stewards who were stoic and did everything they could,” he wrote.
“Bangkok emergency services quick to respond.
“Very little warning,” he revealed.
“The seatbelt sign came on, I put on my seatbelt straightaway then the plane just dropped.’
Mr. Davies wrote that “passengers with medical training” were working to help the injured in the aftermath of the plane dropping.
“CPR on the poor gentleman that passed,” he said.
“Another passenger laid flat in aisle further behind me.
“Not sure what happened with them.”
“People’s belongings scattered, coffee and water splattered the ceiling.
“Surreal. So many injured people.
“Head lacerations, bleeding ears.
“A lady was screaming in pain with a bad back.
“I couldn’t help her – just got her water.”
Davies said that he wished he could have done more to help, adding:
“My heart goes out to the gentleman who lost his life and his poor wife. Awful experience.”
Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on board the flight, told Reuters news agency that the plane started shaking before suddenly plummeting.
“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 said.
“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.”
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.”
The statement also said:
“Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft.”
The airline said 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.”
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