Imagine a scenario where a plane, flying at 37,000 feet, suddenly drops 1,800 meters in three minutes. It's hard to grasp, isn't it? Unfortunately, this exact situation occurred during Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 when it encountered a sudden turbulence of 1,800 meters, resulting in the tragic loss of one passenger's life.
This incident happened on Tuesday when Singapore Airlines reported that one of its flights encountered intense turbulence over the Indian Ocean, resulting in a rapid descent of 1,800 meters within three minutes. Unfortunately, a 73-year-old British man passed away, with a potential cause being a heart attack induced by the severe shaking during the turbulence. The Inside footage of this has gone viral on social media. The plane Boeing 777 was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members. The airline said among 211 three passengers were from India, however company has not told the condition of those passengers.
Due to severe turbulence and stormy weather, a flight was diverted to and landed in Bangkok. Authorities reported multiple injuries among passengers, some of whom were seriously hurt. Most of the passengers were from Australia. According to the airline, the nationalities of the passengers were: 56 from Australia, 2 from Canada, 1 from Germany, 3 from India, 2 from Indonesia, 1 from Iceland, 4 from Ireland, 1 from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, 2 from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, 5 from the Philippines, 41 from Singapore, 1 from South Korea, 2 from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and 4 from the United States.
A relief flight carrying 143 passengers and crew from SQ321 arrived in Singapore at 5:05 am local time (2:35 am IST). Another 79 passengers and six crew members remain in Bangkok, including those receiving medical care and their family members. Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong expressed his commitment to supporting all affected passengers, crew members, and their families in a video message. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the passenger who passed away,” he said. Singapore Airlines staff are on the ground in Bangkok providing assistance. The airline has set up hotlines for relatives of the passengers: +65 6542 3311 (Singapore), 1800-845-313 (Australia), and 080-0066-8194 (United Kingdom).