A 73-year-old British man has died and seven people were seriously injured after a plane encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” about 10 hours into a flight from London to Singapore, authorities reported on Tuesday (21).
The aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER operated by Singapore Airlines, was diverted to Bangkok, landing at 3:45 PM local time on Tuesday.
In total, 30 people, including passengers and crew, were injured, officials said. The airline stated in its announcement that 18 people were hospitalized and another 12 were being treated for injuries. “The remaining passengers and crew are being examined and treated at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok,” the airline reported.
The airline said it encountered turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin, over Myanmar, at 37,000 feet. Data from Flight Radar 24, a website that compiles public flight information, appears to show that it dropped from 37,000 feet to an altitude of about 31,000 feet in just a few minutes.
It is unclear what caused the incident. As the plane traveled over Myanmar, satellite data showed a strong storm beginning to form and bubble at higher altitudes, suggesting that the atmosphere in the region was becoming unstable. The aircraft was also moving toward other storms developing along the coast of Myanmar.
Deaths caused by turbulence are rare. Between 2009 and 2021, 146 passengers and crew were seriously injured in turbulence, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. In December 2022, 11 people were seriously injured during turbulence on a flight from Phoenix to Honolulu.
Singapore Airlines extended its condolences to the family of the person who died on the flight, adding that “we deeply apologize for the traumatic experience our passengers and crew endured on this flight.”
Source: The New York Times