Passengers on Singapore Airlines Flight Describe Being 'Launched' into Ceiling When Turbulence Hit: 'Very Scary'

Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 was about 10 hours into its journey from London to Singapore when the incident occurred, resulting in the death of one passenger

Passengers on the Singapore Airlines flight that encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” are recounting the terrifying moment the plane fell about 6,000 feet, sending those without seatbelts into the air, and resulting in the death of one person.

“It was a very scary experience,” Andrew Davies, a passenger on board Flight SQ321, tells PEOPLE. “I fly a lot and never had an experience even close to that. I’m glad to be on the ground.”

Davies and 210 other passengers, plus 18 crew members, were onboard the Boeing 777-300ER plane when it unexpectedly hit rough air at an altitude of 37,000 feet over Myanmar Tuesday morning, the BBC reported.

The plane made an emergency landing in Bangkok at 9:45 a.m. local time, Singapore Airlines said in a statement.

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“As of 1950hrs Singapore time on 21 May 2024, 18 individuals had been hospitalized,” the airlines said. “Another 12 were being treated in hospitals. The remaining passengers and crew were being examined and given treatment, where necessary, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.”

Davies tells PEOPLE that crew members were among the injured. “The Singapore Airlines staff were great,” he says, “but were badly injured too.”

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Other passengers on the plane described a “dramatic drop” that had passengers screaming.

"I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop, so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling," Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student, told Reuters.

Azmir added, "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.”

Pictures of the cabin show dented overhead bins, scattered personal items, and food and beverages on the floor.

Related: Over 35 People Injured After Air Canada Flight Hits Severe Turbulence on Its Way to Australia

Davies said in a post on X that the incident occurred during breakfast service.

“People’s belongings scattered, coffee and water splattered the ceiling. Surreal,” he wrote. “So many injured people. head lacerations, bleeding ears. A lady was screaming in pain with a bad back. I couldn’t help her - just got her water.”

Passengers also said they tried desperately to help a 73-year-old British man, who died from what authorities believe to be a heart attack, according to the BBC.

“Shouted for a defibrillator,” Davies wrote. “Passengers with medical training helping as much as they could. CPR on the poor gentleman that passed. Another passenger laid flat in aisle further behind me. Not sure what happened with them. Wish I could have helped more.”

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Allison Barker told the BBC that she received a message from her son that he was on a "crazy flight" and that the plane was making an emergency landing.

Later, after speaking with her son, she heard his firsthand account of the flight.

"One minute he was just sitting down wearing a seatbelt, the next minute, he must have blacked out because he found himself on the floor with other people,” she told the BBC. “There was water everywhere, blood everywhere, people's belongings just strewn all over the plane."

"He's in a lot of pain, I think he's got some broken teeth, injuries to his mouth," she added. "But I don't think there's anything more serious than that."

Related: 14-Year-Old Boy Died After Mid-Flight Medical Emergency. Mom Alleges Airline Destroyed or 'Lost' Evidence

At a press conference on Tuesday evening, Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, said medical authorities would confirm the man’s cause of death.

Kittikachorn added that seven passengers were severely injured, and 23 passengers and nine crew members had moderate injuries. Another 16 people were transported to the hospital with less serious injuries, and 14 others were treated at the airport, he said.

A representative with Suvarnabhumi Airport did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for additional comment.

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