Images have revealed damage caused to a Singapore Airlines plane after Flight SQ321 from London Heathrow was caught in turbulence.
One person died during the incident of cardiac arrest, with multiple people injured as the plane began to shake during breakfast.
Kittipong Kittikachorn, the head of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, also told reporters about 30 people were injured, including at least one crew member.
Images from inside the plane, which was heading to Singapore – but diverted to Bangkok, Thailand – reveal the damage caused during the turbulence.
Passenger Andrew Davies, who was sitting in premium economy, told Sky News he was watching a movie when the sign to fasten seatbelts lit up and the plane began plummeting.
He said it all happened so quickly that the captain didn’t even have time to inform the cabin crew to sit down and fasten their seatbelts.
Another passenger on board said the plane suffered a “dramatic drop”, suggesting people not wearing a seatbelt were “launched immediately into the ceiling”.
Singapore Airlines: British man dies in severe turbulence as flight from London Heathrow forced to land in Bangkok
Iran president death latest: Ebrahim Raisi’s funeral under way – as protest leader claims helicopter crash was ‘planned’
President Raisi’s death a perilous moment for Iran regime – but don’t expect a change to foreign policy
“The crew and people inside lavatories were hurt the most because we discovered people just on the ground not able to get up,” Dzafran Azmir said.
“There were a lot of spinal and head injuries.”
People dropped to the ground, he said, and his phone “flew out” of his hand and “went a couple aisles to the side”, while people’s shoes “flung about”.
Once the plane was on the tarmac, nurses and rescue workers came in to check on the injured, Mr Azmir said.
“I don’t think they anticipated how bad it was,” he added.
Ambulances later arrived and Azmir said he saw at least eight people on stretchers being pulled out of the emergency exits. It took 90 minutes to evacuate the plane, he said.
Images showed damage to the ceiling of the cabin, and food, cutlery and other debris strewn on the floor in the aftermath of the incident.
Mr Kittikachorn said some of the injured got cuts to the head, and described the incident as “chaotic”.
The flight, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER jet, departed at 10.17pm on Monday and was diverted to Bangkok, landing at 3.45pm local time (9.45am BST) on Tuesday.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
