Boeing extends condolences after 777 hits severe turbulence, leaving 1 man dead
Boeing on Tuesday offered its “deepest condolences” after a flight heading for Singapore experienced “severe turbulence,” killing one passenger and injuring others.
A Singapore Airlines flight was traveling on a Boeing 777-300ER from London on Monday when severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean forced the plane to suddenly divert to Bangkok, where it landed Tuesday, the carrier said Tuesday.
The plane was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, according to officials at the Suvarnabhumi Airport. A British man died, and dozens of passengers were injured, according to airport officials, which Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, confirmed.
“We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew,” Boeing wrote in a statement on the social platform X on Tuesday.
Singapore Airlines also offered its “deepest condolences” to the family of the deceased.
Seven passengers were severely injured, while 23 passengers and nine crew members suffered moderate injuries, Kittikachorn said during a press conference, per The Associated Press (AP). Sixteen passengers with less serious injuries went to the hospital, and 14 others were treated at the airport, he reportedly added.
He said the man, 73, may have had a heart attack, though that was not confirmed, the AP added.
A later statement from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said 71 people had been treated there, including six who were severely injured, the news wire added. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in numbers.
Data from FlightRadar24 and analyzed by the AP showed the flight at an altitude of 37,000 feet before it suddenly dropped to 31,000 feet over three minutes over the Andaman Sea. It stayed there for less than 10 minutes before diverting and landing in Bangkok less than 30 minutes later, the news wire added.
Singapore Airlines said the nationalities of the passengers were 56 Australians, two Canadians, one German, three Indians, two Indonesians, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one Israeli, 16 Malaysians, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five Filipinos, 41 from Singapore, one South Korean, two Spaniards, 47 from the United Kingdom and four from the United States.
The incident comes as Boeing is facing increased scrutiny following a series of high-profile accidents, including a midair blowout in January aboard an Alaska Airlines flight.
The plane manufacturing company is facing numerous lawsuits over the blowout, along with investigations from the Justice Department, Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
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