Closing summary We are wrapping up the blog now. Thanks for joining us. Here is a summary of what has happened: A 73-year-old British man, who had a heart condition, died after severe turbulence on a London to Singapore flight. He was travelling with his wife, who has been taken to hospital. The Singapore Airlines flight diverted to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi airport just after 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT). The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said. Passengers onboard the Singapore Airlines plane told of a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling. “During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud,” one passenger told BBC 5 Live. The airline said 18 people were taken to hospital and a further 12 received treatment. At least 10 ambulances were deployed. Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told reporters seven people were in a critical condition at Srinakarin hospital. A further 23 passengers and one crew member had less severe injuries, he said. Kittikachorn said most injuries were from cuts to the head. In a few hours, a Singapore Airlines plane travelling from Bangkok will land, carrying some passengers from SQ321 who were not injured and want to continue with their journey to Singapore, BBC News reported. Details of passenger nationalities released by Singapore Airlines Singapore airlines has issued another update, in which it confirms there were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board. One person from the flight died, 18 were hospitalised and a further 12 required treatment in hospital. The remaining passengers and crew were treated at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. Singapore Airlines offered its “deepest condolences” to the family of the deceased. The nationalities of the passengers are as follows: 56 from Australia, two from Canada, one from Germany, three from India, two from Indonesia, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five from the Philippines, 41 from Singapore, one from South Korea, one from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and four from the United States of America. The statement said the plane encountered sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure. The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok, and landed at 15.45hrs local time on 21 May 2024. Closing summary We are wrapping up the blog now. Thanks for joining us. Here is a summary of what has happened: A 73-year-old British man, who had a heart condition, died after severe turbulence on a London to Singapore flight. He was travelling with his wife, who has been taken to hospital. The Singapore Airlines flight diverted to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi airport just after 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT). The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said. Passengers onboard the Singapore Airlines plane told of a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling. “During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud,” one passenger told BBC 5 Live. The airline said 18 people were taken to hospital and a further 12 received treatment. At least 10 ambulances were deployed. Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told reporters seven people were in a critical condition at Srinakarin hospital. A further 23 passengers and one crew member had less severe injuries, he said. Kittikachorn said most injuries were from cuts to the head. In a few hours, a Singapore Airlines plane travelling from Bangkok will land, carrying some passengers from SQ321 who were not injured and want to continue with their journey to Singapore, BBC News reported. In a few hours, a Singapore Airlines plane travelling from Bangkok will land, carrying some passengers from SQ321 who were not injured and want to continue with their journey to Singapore, BBC News reports. Police officer "saw as many as 70 injured people" from Singapore Airlines flight A local police officer at Samitivej Srinakarin hospital in Bangkok, where the injured were brought, said he had seen as many as 70 wounded people, including those with very minor conditions. The Guardian has not yet independently verified these figures. Some patients have requested to be taken to another hospital. One man was recently brought out on a stretcher to be transferred via ambulance. Another was brought out in a wheelchair. The authorities were focusing on providing emergency care before releasing data on the nationalities of those in critical condition, the officer said. However, it is expected that further information will be given later tonight. Boeing – the US-based manufacturer of the plane involved in the incident – has said it is in contact with Singapore Airlines and “stand ready” to offer support. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew,” Boeing added in its post on X. In the UK, Joji Waites, head of flight safety at pilots’ union Balpa, said: Balpa sends its thoughts to the family and friends of those affected by this event. Aircraft are designed and certificated to withstand flight in severe turbulence, and pilots are trained in how to anticipate potential turbulence encounters based on weather forecasts and the aircraft’s onboard technology. Route weather forecasts provide a general prediction of when turbulence is likely to occur, but they often cannot reflect actual conditions in sufficient detail to enable pilots to avoid specific instances of turbulence. It is important, therefore, for aircraft occupants to have their seatbelts fastened while seated should any unexpected encounters occur and comply promptly with ‘fasten seatbelt’ signs when asked to do so. Fatalities caused by turbulence are extremely rare on international scheduled flights, but severe injuries have occurred – more often to crew. There have been fatalities on smaller private jets, although usually only when the turbulence has led to a crash. We mentioned earlier that reports from airline-tracking websites suggested the flight may have dropped about 1,800 metres (5,900ft) when it flew into rough air, after traversing the Andaman Sea nearing Thailand. A spokesperson for FlightRadar 24 said in regard to the data showing a drop in height: “Our initial thinking is the turbulence event is prior to the standard descent from 37,000 to 31,000 feet. That appears to just be a flight level change in preparation for landing.” Here is a picture from inside Singapore Airlines flight SQ321: "There was an awful screaming" - passenger describes the scene onboard BBC 5 live has spoken to a passenger onboard the Singapore Airlines flight. “I was covered in coffee,” Andrew, from London, said. “During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud.” Andrew, who said passengers were being kept in a special part of the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, added that once the turbulence had settled he helped a woman “screaming in agony” who had a “gash on her head”. What we know so far... A 73-year-old British man, who had a heart condition, died after severe turbulence on a London to Singapore flight. He was travelling with his wife, who has been taken to hospital. The Singapore Airlines flight diverted to Bangkok and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi airport just after 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT). The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said. Passengers onboard the Singapore Airlines plane told of a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling. The airline said 18 people were taken to hospital and a further 12 received treatment. At least 10 ambulances were deployed. Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told reporters seven people were in a critical condition at Srinakarin hospital. A further 23 passengers and one crew member had less severe injuries, he said. Kittikachorn said most injuries were from cuts to the head. Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 showed the Singapore Airlines flight cruising at an altitude of 37,000 ft. Just after 8am GMT, the Boeing 777 suddenly pitched down to 31,000 ft over the span of about three minutes.