Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, a 73-year-old British national, has been identified as the victim who lost his life during a flight from London to Singapore. The Singapore Airlines flight, carrying 229 people, descended 7,000 feet in a mere six minutes after encountering severe turbulence over Burma’s west coast.
It is believed that Mr. Kitchen succumbed to a heart attack caused by the violent turbulence, which threw passengers around the cabin. Despite the crew’s efforts, he was pronounced dead upon the plane’s emergency landing in Thailand.
The incident resulted in 71 passengers being hospitalised with various injuries, including seven who remain in critical condition. The Boeing 777-300ER had departed from Heathrow shortly after 10 pm and faced turbulence 11 hours into its 13-hour journey. The severity of the situation necessitated a diversion to Bangkok, where ambulances awaited the distressed passengers.
Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old passenger, described the chaos, stating that the aircraft began tilting and shaking before a dramatic drop hurled unbelted passengers into the ceiling. Many passengers struck their heads on overhead compartments, causing significant damage. Kittipong Kittikachorn, Suvarnabhumi Airport’s general manager, reported that most injuries were head-related. He noted that the deceased passenger’s wife was at the hospital, and several passengers required assistance to disembark from the aircraft. Some with minor injuries have since been discharged and continued their journey to Singapore.
Singapore Airlines confirmed the incident, stating that flight SQ321 from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence, resulting in injuries and one fatality. The airline extended its deepest condolences to Mr. Kitchen’s family and is collaborating with Thai authorities to provide medical aid and additional support.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated that the aircraft, registered 9V-SWM, descended from 38,000 feet to 31,000 feet near Meinmadaung, Burma. The flight, which had 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board, landed safely at 3:45 pm local time (8 am GMT).
Singapore’s Transport Minister, Chee Hong Tat, expressed his sorrow over the incident and offered condolences to Mr. Kitchen’s family. This event adds to a series of turbulence-related incidents, such as the December episode where 11 passengers were injured on a flight from Barbados to Manchester, prompting an emergency diversion to Bermuda. Similarly, in June, five crew members on a British Airways flight sustained injuries due to severe turbulence, with one requiring surgery and others needing medical scans for various injuries.
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