Devastating turbulence and unbuckled seatbelt on London-Singapore: this time a fatality occurred
This time a death has occurred. And it's not one of the flight attendants, who perforce [...]
Singapore Airlines
Star Alliance
SIN
Singapore
This time there has been a death. And it's not one of the flight attendants, who by necessity are the most at risk in cases of severe turbulence in cruise, but of one of the passengers. The unfortunate traveler, whose death was confirmed by the airline, was One of the 211 passengers on board the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER., which was operating the Flight SQ321 between London Heathrow and Singapore Changi. (Photo by N509FZ CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org)
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The plane encountered severe turbulence while flying over the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Burma,an area known for strong high-altitude currents associated with the monsoon
Taking off from the British capital at 10:38 p.m. on May 20, the 777 (in white 'Star Alliance' livery, was expected at Changi a few minutes after 6 p.m. (local time) on May 21, but ha instead made an emergency landing in Bangkok a couple of hours earlier, not only to allow the deceased passenger to disembark, but also so that they could be lent Timely rescue to the other 30 injured passengers as a result of the severe turbulence.
For years now, companies in their video or safety briefing on board, urge passengers to keep their seat belts on board even while cruising and even when the seatbelt sign is not on. Which can be quite inconvenient during long and very long haul flights, such as the one between London and Singapore that exceeds 12 hours. Or at night when one would like to enjoy as much freedom of movement as possible, both in Economy and in the premium cabins.
This is because, as many even recent incidents have shown, Being seated in one's seat is not enough, since particularly severe turbulence Can easily throw a seated passenger against the underside of the overhead compartments.
If, then, there is standing, Walking in the hallway to stretch their legs or to the bathroom, the danger is greater because you can be bumped here and there and suffer serious injuries (or even worse damage, as in this case). So the advice is to Never, ever get up from your seat in the presence of even modest turbulence and even more so in case the seat belt sign is on.
In a message released on social media, Singapore Airlines reported that there were 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board the plane and that there were "several injuries and one death" and offered "deepest condolences to the family of the deceased," adding that "we are working with Thai authorities to provide the best assistance to the passengers and crew and are sending our support team from Singapore to Bangkok."
