One person has died and several others were injured after a Singapore Airlines flight from London was hit by severe turbulence.
The Boeing 777-300ER with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board was diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and landed at 15:45 local time.
Flight tracking data appeared to indicate that the jet dropped 6,000 feet within minutes of crossing the Bay of Bengal.
In a statement, Singapore Airlines offered its condolences to the family of the deceased. The airline added that it was working with Thai authorities to provide medical assistance to passengers, and was sending a team to Bangkok to provide any assistance required.
Singapore’s Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said “I am deeply saddened to learn about the incident onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore.”
While what happened on board the flight remains sketchy, a passenger told Reuters news agency that the aircraft suddenly started “tilting up and there was shaking and there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling,” 28-year-old student Dzafran Azmir said.
“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.”
While turbulence is usually caused by aircraft flying through thick clouds, there is also “clear air” turbulence which is not visible on radar nor is it possible to predict.