1 Dead, 30 Injured Due to Severe Turbulence on Singapore Airlines Flight

The London-Singapore flight made an emergency landing in Bangkok.

In an uncommon event, severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore resulted in the death of one passenger and injuries to 30 others. Singapore Airlines confirmed the fatality.

Singapore Airlines stated that flight SQ321, which departed from Heathrow Airport on Monday, encountered severe turbulence during its journey to Singapore. The Boeing 777-300 ER, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, landing there at 3:45 PM (local time) on Tuesday.

Expressing condolences to the deceased passenger’s family, the airline said, “We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing. Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional support needed.”

Experts noted that such injuries often occur when passengers are not wearing seatbelts and the pilot cannot give an advanced warning due to the unpredictable nature of turbulence as indicated by weather radar. In a similar incident in May last year, turbulence caused several injuries on an Air India flight from Delhi to Sydney.