Forty-eight people who were on board a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence this week remain in hospital, officials said.
The 48 patients were being treated in three hospitals in Bangkok, a statement from Samitivej Srinakarin hospital said today. There was no update about patients in intensive care.
One passenger died of a suspected heart attack and dozens were injured after Singapore Airline Flight SQ321, flying from London to Singapore, encountered what the airline described as sudden, extreme turbulence while flying over Myanmar on Tuesday.
The Boeing 777-300ER flight, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing after the plane was buffeted by turbulence that flung passengers and crew around the cabin, slamming some into the ceiling.
Photographs from inside the plane showed gashes in the overhead cabin panels, oxygen masks and panels hanging from the ceiling and luggage strewn around.
A passenger said some people’s heads had slammed into the lights above the seats and broken the panels.
Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines tweaked its in-flight seatbelt sign policies and altered at least one flight route after the turbulence incident, according to the airline and flight data.
The airline is adopting a more cautious approach to turbulence, including not serving hot drinks or meals when the seatbelt sign is on, it said in a statement to Singapore broadcaster Channel News Asia.
“SIA will continue to review our processes, as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance,” it said.
The daily London to Singapore route has completed two flights since the incident and not flown over the part of Myanmar where the sudden turbulence occurred about three hours before scheduled landing. The flight time is about the same, tracking data show.
They flew instead over the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, route data from flight tracker FlightRadar24 shows.
Singapore Airlines, which is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading airlines and is seen as a benchmark for much of the industry, has not had any major incidents in recent years.
