㽶Ƶֱ

Skip to content

㽶ƵֱSheer terror㽶Ƶֱ: Passengers describe flight that put 20 in intensive care

Singapore Airlines flight plummeted 6,000 feet in about 3 minutes after hitting turbulence
web1_20240522110548-664e13ca855d7866fa2d0bf0jpeg
Josh Silverstone, from Britain, who was injured during the flight of the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER, talks to reporters at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, The Singapore Airlines flight descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes, the carrier said Tuesday. A British man died and authorities said dozens of passengers were injured, some severely. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Passengers on the Singapore Airlines flight that plummeted after hitting severe turbulence described the 㽶Ƶֱsheer terror㽶Ƶֱ of the aircraft shuddering, loose items flying and people wrenched so badly that 20 remained Wednesday in intensive care.

㽶ƵֱI arrived back in the airport and I couldn㽶Ƶֱt stop vomiting. I couldn㽶Ƶֱt walk, it was pretty bad,㽶Ƶֱ said Josh Silverstone, 24, who was discharged from a hospital with a cut in his eye and a chipped tooth. He said it could have been 㽶Ƶֱway worse.㽶Ƶֱ

The British man said he was so scared that he bought in-flight internet access to message his mother: 㽶ƵֱI wasn㽶Ƶֱt trying to scare her, but I said 㽶ƵֱI love you.㽶Ƶֱ㽶Ƶֱ

It was still not clear what exactly caused the turbulence that sent the Boeing 777 carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members on a 6,000-foot (around 1,800-meter) descent in about three minutes. The flight from London to Singapore was diverted to Thailand. A British man died, possibly of a heart attack.

Aviation investigators arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday. Singapore Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board was sending technical advisors because the incident involved a Boeing plane.

Singapore Airlines said 131 passengers and 12 crew members from Flight SQ321 who were well enough to travel were picked up on a special flight and arrived early Wednesday at Singapore㽶Ƶֱs Changi Airport.

Six crew members and 79 passengers stayed in Bangkok, where the majority remained in the hospital, said Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong.

Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, where most of the injured were taken, said the 20 people in intensive care include six Britons, six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

Passenger Beverley Mayers, who was not injured, described the situation inside the plane as 㽶Ƶֱsheer terror.㽶Ƶֱ

㽶ƵֱThe whole plane was shuddering 㽶Ƶֱ great pieces were falling off and dropping on the floor, people getting hit in the head,㽶Ƶֱ she told Australia㽶Ƶֱs TV Channel 9 on arrival at Sydney airport.

Thai officials withheld the name of the dead man, but British media identified him as Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, who was going on a six-week holiday with his wife. A Thai airport official said Kitchen might have had a heart attack, though that hadn㽶Ƶֱt been confirmed.

Newlyweds Ali and Ramiza Bukhari, who were flying back from their honeymoon, told reporters at Sydney Airport that they were relieved to be back home.

㽶ƵֱIt was a very, very traumatic experience,㽶Ƶֱ Ali Bukhari said.

Most people associate turbulence with heavy storms, but the most dangerous type is so-called clear air turbulence. Wind shear can occur in wispy cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms, as differences in temperature and pressure create powerful currents of fast-moving air.

The U.S.-based Association of Flight Attendants said clear air turbulence is virtually undetectable with current technology. 㽶ƵֱOne second, you㽶Ƶֱre cruising smoothly; the next, passengers, crew and unsecured carts or other items are being thrown around the cabin,㽶Ƶֱ it said.

㽶ƵֱAlways follow crew instructions and wear your seatbelt whenever seated. It is a matter of life and death,㽶Ƶֱ it added.

READ ALSO:

㽶ƵֱĔ-

Associated Press writer Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.

Napat Kongsawad, The Associated Press

Breaking News You Need To Know

Sign up for free account today and start receiving our exclusive newsletters.

Sign Up with google Sign Up with facebook

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and apply.

Reset your password

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and apply.

A link has been emailed to you - check your inbox.



Don't have an account? Click here to sign up




(or

㽶Ƶֱ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }