The airline said that severe turbulence on board Singapore Airlines Flight 321 from London led to one person being killed and others injured.

Singapore Airlines announced today, Tuesday, that one person on board a Singapore Airlines flight was killed and dozens were injured when the plane, which was heading from London to Singapore, encountered “sudden severe turbulence.” The airline said in a statement published on its website that flight SQ321 coming from London Heathrow Airport was diverted to Bangkok and landed at 3:45 pm local time on Tuesday at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Facebook page.

He added, “We can confirm that there were injuries and one death on board the Boeing 777-300ER.” A previous statement saidHe added that there were 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board.

Officials said the passenger who died was a 73-year-old British man. Suvarnabhumi Airport Director Kittipong Kittikashorn said in a press conference that seven people, some of whom had sustained head injuries, were seriously injured, and dozens of others sustained varying injuries.

Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok said it treated 71 people in total, including six with serious injuries, news agencies reported.

BBC News is a partner network of CBS News mentioned It is believed that the deceased man suffered a heart attack during the unrest.

Video from the Thai airport showed passengers descending the ramp onto the runway from the plane, which was surrounded by emergency vehicles.

Several people were seen lying on a tarp under a tent in a crowded triage area of ​​the airport and medical staff.

The airline offered its “deepest condolences to the family of the deceased” and said it was providing assistance to all passengers and flight crew.

Boeing also offered its condolences to the family of the passenger who died in the accident Statement posted on social media. The US airline giant said it is in contact with Singapore Airlines and is ready to support the carrier as it looks into the incident.

Track data from FlightAware A website showed the Singapore Airlines plane suddenly falling from an altitude of about 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet in just about five minutes. The landing came after about 10 hours of flight from London, as the Boeing 777 finished crossing the Andaman Sea and approached the Thai coast. Thunderstorms were reported in the area.

Passenger Safran Izmir said: “Suddenly the plane started to tilt upward and there was a vibration, so I started preparing for what was happening, and suddenly there was a very big drop, so all the people sitting not wearing seat belts were immediately launched into the ceiling.” Reuters News Agency. “Some people hit their heads on the luggage compartments at the top and made a dent in them. They hit the places where the lights and masks are and smashed right into them.”

Another passenger, Andrew Davies, who spoke to BBC News on Tuesday about the harrowing journey, posted a photo A series of messages on social media Earlier described the incident.

“Horrible experience,” he said. “A lot of people were hurt, including the flight attendants who were standing up and doing everything they could.”

Davis said there was “very little warning” before the plane went down, but the seat belt warning light came on.

“I immediately put on my seat belt and then the plane fell,” he said, describing the chaos in the cabin as people were screaming for a pacemaker and passengers with medical training were trying to help the injured.

“A Singapore Airlines crew member said this was the worst ever in 30 years of flying,” Davis said in a tweet, adding: “Lesson learned – wear your seatbelt at all times. Anyone injured, was not wearing a seatbelt.” “. Seat belt.”

Four Americans were on board, according to the airline. The remaining passengers included 56 from Australia, 47 from the United Kingdom, 41 from Singapore, 23 from New Zealand, 16 from Malaysia, five from the Philippines, four from Ireland, three from India, and two each from Canada, Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan. Spain, and one each from Germany, Iceland, Israel and South Korea.

While in-flight turbulence is becoming increasingly common on many routes, deaths and serious injuries are rare. four People were injured Due to severe turbulence on a domestic US flight in Florida in July 2023.

The Singapore Airlines incident is being investigated.

“It is very rare for turbulence to lead to fatalities,” said Robert Sumwalt, a CBS News aviation analyst and former NTSB chairman.

“What I’m calling this now is in-flight turbulence — whether that’s a result of turbulence or a result of something else,” he said, adding: “It’s too early to know for sure at this point.”

Although the causes of this incident are not yet clear, climate scientists have done so He warned travelers to be prepared to more flight delays and cancellations and more frequent and more severe disruptions, especially on routes over the world’s rapidly warming oceans, as a result of Climate change.

The impacts of climate change on air travel are much broader than just increased turbulence, says Tracy Wolf, climate producer at CBS News. Airports affected by severe floodsExtreme heat and rainfall hamper take-off and landing, and even lightning strikes in the air.

—Chris Van Cleave and Alex Sandby contributed reporting.