One person died, six were critically injured, and dozens more were hurt on Tuesday after a Singapore Airlines flight carrying 221 passengers and 18 crewmembers experienced “severe” turbulence midair.
The Singapore-bound Boeing 777-300ER was on its way from London but had to be diverted to Bangkok, Thailand, after enduring an extended period of turbulence. As of Wednesday, 20 people from the flight remain in intensive care units. Officials said that at least 85 were admitted to various hospitals in Bangkok, while 19 others went to local clinics.
“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 a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling,” Dzafran Azmir, 28, a student who was on the flight, told reporters. “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 man who died was Geoff Kitchen, 73, from the United Kingdom. He worked for a U.K.-based theater group called Thornbury Musical Theatre Group.
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“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,” the airline said in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced it would send a team to help investigate the tragedy, as the Singapore Transport Safety Investigation Bureau leads the inquiry.