A PASSENGER has died during horror turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore – sparking an emergency landing.
The Boeing 777 plane operated by Singapore Airlines plunged 7,000ft in just minutes over the west coast of Burma, according to flight data.
Flight SQ321 took off from London Heathrow shortly after 10pm on Monday with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
The flight encountered “severe turbulence” on route to Singapore, the airline said.
One passenger died and around 20 others were reportedly injured – sparking a request for an emergency landing in Thailand.
The plane was diverted to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok where it touched down shortly before 4pm local time.
It had been due to land at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 6.10pm local time.
Extreme tropical thunderstorms have been battering the region this week, according to local media reports.
The flight plunged from 38,000ft to 31,000ft in just minutes over Meinmadaung on the west coast of Burma, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.
Pictures showed ambulances and emergency vehicles lined up on the tarmac next to the plane.
Other images showed food and cutlery strewn across the aisles of the Boeing plane.
A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines confirmed one person had died on board due “severe turbulence en-route” to Singapore.
They said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
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It’s not clear if the fatality was a passenger or crew member.
It comes as Boeing has found itself plunged into crisis after a series of dangerous jet failures and the death of a company whistleblower.
A window panel on a Boeing 737 was ripped from one plane mid-flight – and a wheel dropped from the bottom of another jet during takeoff.
John Barnett, a former longtime Boeing employee-turned-whistleblower, was found dead in his truck just days after giving evidence against the company which is in the midst of a criminal investigation.
The 737 MAX, most commonly used aircraft for commercial flights in the world, was also grounded in countries around the world between March 2019 and December 2020.
It came after 346 people died in two similar crashes on the planes, the Lion Air flight in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines flight in March 2019.
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