Singapore Airlines turbulence victim was British man who had 'heart condition'

A British passenger has died and dozens have been injured after a flight from London to Singapore was hit by turbulence. The deceased passenger was a 73-year-old British man who had a heart condition, the general manager of Airports of Thailand has confirmed. He was travelling with his wife.

Kittipong Kittikachorn confirmed that one person has died. Seven people are in a critical condition, he says. A further 23 people, including some crew members, have less severe injuries. He confirmed the cause of the incident was turbulence.

A passenger onboard the Singapore Airlines flight that had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok has recounted the terrifying descent. Dzafran Azmir, 28, told Reuters: "Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.

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"Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it." Kittikachorn, the general manager of management company Airports of Thailand, said: “Most injuries are from cuts to the head”, adding that “30 people on the flight received small injuries”.

Kittikachorn says: “Investigations are ongoing, he says. About 100 out of the roughly 200 passengers will be ready to travel on to Singapore tonight. They are having dinner now and Thai Airways will take them the rest of the way later."

‘There were lots of passengers who couldn’t walk and we rescued them from the plane,’ Kittikachorn added this afternoon. “I’m sorry but we will not be discussing the investigation in this press conference but I can say that the air pockets must be quite severe from looking inside the plane.”