The latest on Singapore Airlines turbulence incident | CNN (2024)

Thanks for joining our live updates following the Singapore Airlines incident on Tuesday. Our coverage here is wrapping up but you can follow the latest developments here.

Singapore Airlines has said a team has landed in Bangkok after one of its flights had to make an emergency landing in Thailand after experiencing severe turbulence.

The airline said the team had arrived in the Thai capital “to support our colleagues and the local authorities on the ground” in an update on its Facebook page.

“We are providing all possible assistance to the passengers and crew on board SQ321, both at the hospital and the airport,” it added in the statement.

Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 likely encountered rapidly developing thunderstorms over southern Myanmar on Tuesday during the time that extreme turbulence was reported.

A CNNWeatheranalysis of satellite data shows an area of developing thunderstorms over the Irrawaddy Delta [a river in Myanmar] between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. GMT (early afternoon local time). This corresponds to the same time and location reported by the airline and independent data analysis of the flight path from FlightRadar24.

Tropicalthunderstorms like these are typical for this time of year with moisture increasing in the region as the southwest monsoon season is beginning in South Asia. They can form quickly in the early afternoon as the land heats up, especially near the coastline.

Budding thunderstorms like Tuesday’s may not appear on radar in their earliest stages, even though the quick rising motion within them can still produce turbulence. The storm cells likely grew from 20,000 to 30,000 feet to well over 50,000 feet in less than an hour.

There was a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board the flight traveling from London’s Heathrow Airport bound for Singapore’s Changi Airport, according to Singapore Airlines.

The journey should have taken around 13 hours. However, it made an emergency landing in Bangkok after experiencing severe turbulence over Myanmar. One passenger – a 73-year-old Briton – died and scores of others were injured.

Singapore Airlines has now provided an update on the nationalities of the passengers traveling on the Boeing 777-300ER. They include:

Correction: The age of the deceased passenger has been amended in this post.

The aviation tracking site FlightRadar24 says, based on its data, that the turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 occurred over Myanmar at approximately 7:49 a.m. UTC (3:49 a.m. ET).

This lines up witha statement from the airlinestating that the plane, “encountered sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin [a river in Myanmar] at 37,000 feet, about 10 hours after departure.”

FlightRadar24 said ina blog postthat, according to its data, at that time, ”the flight encountered a rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event.”

The data show the flight changing course about 14 minutes later. The airline says, “the pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok.”

The FlightRadar24 data show the flight, which was cruising at 37,000 feet, suddenly dipping then rapidly climbing a few hundred feet before dipping and climbing again and then finally settling back at its cruising altitude. The entire disruption took about 90 seconds, according to the data, but resulted in dozens of injuries, including a fatality.

The Singapore Airlines flight that experienced severe turbulence while en route to the Southeast Asian nation from London left at least 71 people injured, according to the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok that received the injured passengers.

The hospital also said six people are severely injured. Earlier,Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in the Thai capital said seven people were critically injured.

Those injured include citizens of Malaysia, the UK, New Zealand, Spain, the US and Ireland.

Ambulances are seen outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday.

At least seven people are critically injured after a Singapore Airlines flight traveling from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence and was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand, according to Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

Earlier, the airport official confirmed a 73-year-old British man had died. Authorities are currently awaiting a medical report on the deceased, Kittikachorn said.

Kittikachorn also told CNN on Tuesday that he was informed about the emergency landing in Bangkok just ten minutes before it touched down.

Kittikachorn, who inspected the aircraft, reported that several passengers were injured, with some sustaining broken arms. The severity of the situation prompted doctors to advise the initiation of an emergency plan to assist all affected passengers.Previously, the airport official said the majority of injuries sustained on board were cuts and bruises.

“It took us one and a half hours to evacuate all passengers,” Kittikachorn stated. The turbulence also caused significant damage inside the plane, with parts of the ceiling and luggage compartments collapsing.

Air travel and turbulence have always gone hand in hand with many flights, especially long haul, experiencing spells of bumpiness. Thesevere episode on board a Singapore Airlines planein which one passenger died raises concerns about how risky turbulence can be.

Experts say it is extremely unlikely that most flights will result in injury or damage, but there have been numerous recent incidents in which this has occurred.

Understanding what causes turbulence can help air crew and passengers mitigate its impact.

“Turbulence fatalities on commercial flights are fortunately very rare, but have sadly increased by one today,” Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the UK, said in a statement released today.

Read more on how air turbulence can create problems for air travelers here:

TheBritishEmbassy inThailand said in a post on X on Tuesday that itis sending consular officialsin Bangkokto support British nationals affected by the Singapore Airlines flight.

The embassy previouslysaidthat it was “responding” to the Singapore Airlines flight’s emergency landing in the Thai capital and that it was “in contact with the local authorities.”

Ambulances are seen at the airport where a London-Singapore flight was diverted to in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday.

The majority of injuries sustained on board the Singapore Airlines plane that encountered severe turbulence were cuts and bruises, the General Manager of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport said on Tuesday.

Most of the passengers had their seat belts on, Kittipong Kittikachorn said. “The incident happened when passenger[s] were having breakfast.”

Injured passengers were sent to Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, Kittikachorn said, adding that almost 200 travelers are waiting to take onwards flight to their destinations. The hospital is a roughly 20-minute drive from the airport.

Earlier, Singapore Airlines said 30 people had been hurt in the mid-air disruption and were being treated in hospitals while other passengers were receiving outpatient care at the airport.

Video filmed after Singapore Airlines SQ321 was diverted to Bangkok shows a passenger being carried from the aircraft on a stretcher by emergency responders.

Giving a sense of just how violent the turbulence might have been, the footage provided by Reuters shows overhead compartments open with emergency oxygen air masks hanging down from the ceiling.

On the tarmac outside, ambulances and medical workers can be seen waiting to assist. Those needing medical assistance appear to have been escorted off the plane first as other travelers waited onboard.

The galley ofSingaporeAirlines flight SQ321 is pictured after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Tuesday.

Other images taken after passengers had apparently disembarked showed the damage on board.

A photograph of one galley showed a section of the ceiling open with parts of the plane’s interior hanging haphazardly from the ceiling. Trays, containers, plastic bottles and hot beverage pots can be seen strewn across the floor.

The person who died on board the Singapore Airlines plane that encountered severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore was a 73-year-old British man, the General Manager of Bangkok’sSuvarnabhumiInternational Airport said on Tuesday.

According to Kittipong Kittikachorn, the man died on the plane.

Kittikachorn told CNN that the cause of the death is still to be determined by a doctor, adding that the man had a heart condition.

“It is the first time for Thailand that a turbulence caused a loss of life,” Kittikachorn said, adding that the deceased passenger’s wife is at the hospital.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was looking into the reports when asked by CNN for comment.

Boeing says it is in touch with Singapore Airlines and is “ready to support them,” after a London to Singapore flight encountered severe turbulence and was diverted to Bangkok. The airline has confirmed one fatality.

“We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew,” Boeing said in a statement to CNN.

The manufacturer of theBoeing 777-300ER involved in the incident, which the airline attributes to turbulence, is deferring further questions to the airline and local authorities.

Singapore Airlines is often considered one of the world’s safest carriers. Its only previous fatal accident was in October 2000 when flight SQ006 crashed when the Boeing 747-400 took off from a closed runway in Taiwan amid heavy rain, killing 83 on board.

The interior ofSingaporeAirline flight SQ321 is pictured after an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday.

Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 was flying from London to Singapore Airport on Tuesday when the incident occurred.

It appears to have taken off from London’s Heathrow Airport around 10:30 p.m. local, according to online flight trackers.

The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew.

It was bound for Singapore’s Changi Airport, however the aircraft was diverted to the Thai capital of Bangkok where it landed at 3:45 p.m. local, according to the airline.

“Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft,” the airline said, adding, “We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance.”

Singapore Airlines is also sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed, the airline added in the statement.

Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnamsaid Tuesday hewas “greatly saddened” by theSingaporeAirlines incident.

“I am greatly saddened by the loss of a life caused by the severe turbulence on board the SQ321 flight from London earlier today, and the injuries caused to several others,” thepresident wrote on Facebook.

TheSingaporepresident went on to express his “deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased.”

“We must hope and pray that the passengers or crew members who were injured are able to recover smoothly,” he wrote.

“We do not have the details of those affected, but know that the government ministries and agencies, as well as SIA[SingaporeAirlines], are doing their utmost to support all those affected and working with the authorities in Bangkok,” the presidentadded.

Ambulances wait to carry passengers in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday.

One person has died, and 30 others were injured on board a Singapore Airlines plane that encountered severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore, the airline said Tuesday.

“We can confirm that there are multiple injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft,” the airline said in a statement on Facebook.

“As of 1950hrs Singapore time on 21 May 2024, 18 individuals have been hospitalised. Another 12 are being treated in hospitals,” according to Singapore Airlines.

“The remaining passengers and crew are being examined and given treatment, where necessary, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok,” the company said in its post.