More than 140 passengers and crew from a Singapore Airlines aircraft slammed by extreme turbulence that wounded several and killed one arrived in Singapore on a rescue flight Wednesday morning following an emergency landing in Bangkok.
The planned flight from London to Singapore on a Boeing 777-300ER was diverted to Bangkok due to turbulence, which tossed passengers and staff across the cabin, knocking several into the ceiling.
A 73-year-old British passenger passed away after a suspected heart attack, while at least 30 others were wounded.
Photographs from the plane's interior revealed gashes in the overhead cabin panels, oxygen masks and panels hanging from the ceiling, and bags strewn around. A passenger said that several people's heads had collided against the lights above their seats, breaking the panels.
The rescue aircraft from Bangkok, operated by Singapore Airlines, had 131 passengers and 12 crew members and arrived in Singapore shortly before 5 a.m. The original flight had 211 passengers, many of whom were Australians, British, or Singaporeans, as well as 18 staff members; wounded travelers and their families remained in Bangkok.
"On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased," Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said in a video message.
According to Goh, the plane faced unexpectedly high turbulence, prompting the captain to declare a medical emergency and divert to Bangkok.
According to flight monitoring data from FlightRadar 24, the airplane experienced "a rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event" around 0749 GMT.
"There were thunderstorms, some severe, in the area at the time," it said.