A British man, aged 73, died from a suspected heart attack on-board a Singapore Airlines flight which was hit by horrific turbulence. Authorities in Bangkok, where the aircraft was forced to land after hitting an air pocket, say seven people are now in a critical condition.
A total of 23 other passengers have been injured, as well as nine crew members. There are 14 people in hospital with minor injuries. Officials have also said the man who died of a suspected heart attack was travelling with his wife, who is now in a Bangkok hospital.
Her condition is currently unknown. It has been reported that passengers began scrambling to put their seatbelts on as the turbulence hit.
But, for many the plane’s sudden drop caused several to “launch into the ceiling”, with pictures showing people bleeding, including staff, and the infrastructure inside the cabin damaged.
The flight, a 16-year-old Boeing 777, took off from Heathrow Airport at 10.30pm on Monday. The airline claims turbulence was felt about 11.5 hours after it departed London – forcing the pilot to declare an emergency.
It’s thought the flight had at least 90 minutes left before reaching Singapore – but had to land in Bangkok, Thailand, after the dreadful mid-air horror which saw the entire cabin’s contents strewn as the aircraft plunged 6,000ft through the sky.
According to the National Weather Service, turbulence is caused by friction between the air and ground, with its intensity dependant on the strength of winds.
One passenger told the BBC that the craft “suddenly dropped” forcing objects to fly around the cabin. Andrew Davies, who was on-board the flight said he was left covered in coffee – but that the ordeal hasn’t put him off flying again.
“During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud,” he told BBC reporters.
The flight, it has been reported, was carrying a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew.
Among the injuries sustained by passengers and crew, it’s claimed gashes to heads, bleeding ears and physical damage – such as sore backs were reported by those on-board.
It’s understood the people on-board the affected aircraft are being kept in a designated area of Bangkok airport – apart from those who have been taken to hospital.