A passenger died, and others were seriously injured on a Boeing flight from London to Singapore where it ran into freak turbulence.
The plane made an emergency landing in Thailand.
The Boeing 777 plane, operated by Singapore Airlines, left the UK on Monday at 10.17 pm with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
Shortly after take-off, flight SQ321 experienced severe turbulence as it was battered by extreme tropical thunderstorms.
According to the airline, the plane was diverted to Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok to make an emergency landing at 15:45 pm local time.
The Daily Mail reported that one passenger had died, and around 30 others were injured.
Singapore Airlines confirmed the emergency landing and that one passenger had died in the incident in a statement on Facebook.
“Singapore Airlines flight #SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route,” the statement from the airline said.
“The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 1545hrs local time.”
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board,” it said.
“Singapore Airlines offers 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,” the statement added.
“We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance, and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed.”
The news comes just weeks after Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour warned of a potential air disaster that could cost hundreds of lives if quality issues are not resolved.
The Daily Fetched reported in April:
In an explosive testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s investigations subcommittee, Salehpour said Boeing’s disregard for concerns raised by employees endangers passengers’ and crews’ lives.
Salehpour also highlighted the faults with over 1,000 Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets currently in use, which could lead to premature fatigue failure.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) asked Salehpour whether or not Boeing planes are safe, to which he replied that it is only a matter of time until a catastrophic aviation disaster.
“It’s like an earthquake. The big earthquake is coming, and when that hits, the building has to be prepared to accommodate that kind of—let’s say—shake-up,” Salehpour said.
“It has to be built properly,” the Boeing engineer added.
Salehpour continued:
“Right now, from what I’ve seen, the airplanes are not being built per spec and per requirement.”
READ: 10 New Boeing Whistleblowers Emerge after Deaths of Two Colleagues
