Twenty Singapore Airlines Passengers in Intensive Care After Heavy Turbulence

Fifty eight people from the Singapore Airlines flight that made an emergency landing are currently being treated in Bangkok hospitals, with 20 being in intensive care, According to an airline spokesperson.

The passengers are seeking medical attention for injuries sustained after heavy turbulence aboard a Singapore Airlines flight that had to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday.

According to Samitivej Hospital, 85 persons, including 79 passengers and six crew members, were treated at three medical institutions, with 58 remaining in the hospital and 27 discharged. Five of the latter were due to return to Singapore on Wednesday evening.

According to previous reports, six passengers received severe injuries, 39 suffered moderate injuries, and the rest suffered minor injuries during the trip from London on Tuesday, in which a 73-year-old British man died of a suspected heart attack.

The flight from London to Singapore was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members when the captain requested an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Singapore Airlines CEO Gives “Deepest Condolences”

The remaining 131 passengers and 12 staff members on Flight SQ321 landed in Singapore via a relief flight on Wednesday morning, according to a statement on SIA’s Facebook page.

The airline’s CEO, Goh Choon Phong, received them at Changi Airport after previously expressing his “deepest condolences” to the deceased passenger’s family and loved ones.

According to the UK publication The Telegraph, the passenger who died was Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, of Thornbury, Gloucestershire. He and his wife Linda were among 47 British passengers on the flight when it dropped 6,000 feet in minutes due to severe weather over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin.

“We also sincerely apologize for the trauma that all passengers and crew members endured on this trip. We are offering all available assistance and support to them, as well as their families and loved ones, during this difficult time,” Mr Goh said in an airline statement.

SIA stated that travelers traveling to Singapore had transportation to their residences or hotel accommodations arranged. For those with onward connections, the carrier has rebooked passengers on alternate flights and provided hotel or lounge access until their flights depart.

“A specialized SIA team from Singapore is in Bangkok to help our colleagues and local authorities. “We are providing all possible assistance to the passengers and crew of SQ321 who remain in Bangkok,” the airline stated.

On Wednesday, an AFP photographer captured individuals wearing Singapore Airlines yellow vests entering the ailing Boeing 777-800ER as aircraft remained grounded at the airport. The incident caused extensive damage to the plane’s interior.

British and Malaysian embassies

The Australian government told the BBC that eight Australians were among the injured. According to Malaysia’s foreign ministry, nine of its citizens are in hospitals, with one in critical but stable condition.

On Wednesday, officials from the British and Malaysian embassies visited Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital to check on their nationals.

The airline confirmed on Tuesday night that there were no Thai passengers aboard the flight. It said that the nationalities of the passengers were as follows: 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 four from the United States.

According to a statement from Samitivej Hospital, individuals receiving intensive care at Samitivej Srinakarin and Samitivej Sukhumvit hospitals included three Australians, six British, one Chinese, one Filipino, six Malaysians, one New Zealander, and two Singaporeans.

Samitivej Srinakarin, Samitivej Sukhumvit, and Bangkok Hospital were all treating an additional 38 patients. They consisted of one American, nine Australians, nine British, five Filipinos, one Indian, two Irish, one South Korean, three Malaysians, two New Zealanders, one Myanmar, one Spanish, and three Singaporeans.

Source: AFP