One man has died and 71 have been injured after a Singapore Airlines flight fell into an air pocket during breakfast service, causing a violent turbulence.
The flight, which was travelling from London to Singapore, reportedly fell 6000ft in just five minutes. On board were 211 passengers, 58 of them Australian.
Per Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neill, “at least eight” of the Australians are in hospital in Bangkok.
The man who died on the Boeing 777-300ER has been named as 73-year-old British musical theatre director Geoff Kitchen. He reportedly died of a heart attack as the plane hit turbulence, which came about due to a pre-existing condition.
He was heading to Singapore to begin a six-week holiday with his wife, who is now in a Bangkok hospital.
According to passengers on the plane, the turbulence was so sudden that some individuals were “launched into the ceiling”.
“So I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop,” 28-year-old passenger Dzafran Azmir told Reuters.
“Everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.
“Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it.”
Other passengers claimed some people on board the flight did involuntary “somersaults” when the plane hit turbulence.
“Suddenly the plane plunged, I don’t know how far but it was a long way and so sudden. There was no warning at all,” 68-year-old passenger Jerry told the BBC.
“I ended up hitting my head on the ceiling and my wife did. Some poor people walking around ended up doing somersaults, it was absolutely terrible.
“Suddenly it stopped, and it was calm again. The staff did their best to tend to the injured people, there were a lot of them.
“Some of the staff were injured themselves, so they did a sterling job.”
Singapore Airlines has issued a statement of apology, offering its “deepest condolences to the family of the deceased”.
“Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft.”
Only six passengers are considered to be in a seriously injured state.
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