Terrified passengers recall moment of ‘dramatic drop’ on deadly Singapore Airlines flight: ‘The longest two hours of my life’
Terrified passengers have recalled the petrifying moment a Singapore Airlines flight took a “dramatic drop” due to turbulence Tuesday — leaving one man dead and others bloodied and screaming out in pain.
Those on board the Boeing 777 jet said there was virtually no warning before the plane made a “dramatic drop” enroute from London to Singapore Tuesday afternoon.
“Everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling, 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,” Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student, said.
“The crew and people inside lavatories were hurt the most because we discovered people just on the ground not able to get up,” he continued. “There were a lot of spinal and head injuries.”
Another passenger, Andrew Davies, recalled how those with medical training were desperately trying to render aid — including to the 73-year-old British man who died on board after authorities say he suffered a heart attack.
“My heart goes out to the gentleman who lost his life and his poor wife. Awful experience,” Davies, who lives in the UK, tweeted.
“Shouted for a defribulator [sic]. 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.”
“People’s belongings scattered, coffee and water splattered the ceiling. Surreal. So many injured people. Head lacerations, bleeding ears. A lady was screaming in pain with a bad back. I couldn’t help her,” Davies added.
Everything we know so far about the London-Singapore flight that killed 1, injured 30
- A 73-year-old British man was killed and more than 30 others were injured after a Singapore Airlines Boeing flight dealt with severe turbulence Tuesday.
- Geoff Kitchen, a 73-year-old British grandfather, was traveling on his dream vacation of a six-week tour of Asia and Australia with his wife when he died of a heart attack after the Singapore Airlines flight plunged more than 6,000 feet.
- The Boeing 777-300ER jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok at 3:45 p.m. local time, the airline said.
- Passengers have since detailed the terror on board, saying those who weren’t wearing seatbelts were launched into the ceiling when the plane dropped abruptly.
- Photos circulating online showed food and debris strewn throughout the aircraft in the aftermath of the turbulence, as well as huge dents in the overhead bins.
Photos circulating online showed terrified passengers gripping their seats and a flight attendant bleeding from her nose in the aftermath of the turbulence.
Meanwhile, other images showed food and debris strew throughout the aircraft, as well as huge dents in the overhead bins where passengers had crashed through.
Allison Barker, whose son Josh was onboard, recalled receiving a frightening text from him during the flight that read: “I don’t want to scare you, but I’m on a crazy flight. The plane is making an emergency landing… I love you all.”
“It was terrifying,” she told the BBC. “I didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t know whether he’d survived, it was so nerve wracking. It was the longest two hours of my life. It was awful; it was petrifying.”
The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok in the wake of the ordeal.
Tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed the Boeing jet sharply dropping from an altitude of about 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within just five minutes as it flew over the Andaman Sea.
The plane, which was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok in the wake of the ordeal.
First responders rushed onboard to treat the injured, Thai officials said.
Seven passengers were severely injured and 23 passengers and nine crew members sustained moderate injuries, Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, told a news conference.
“Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased,” the airline said in a statement. “We deeply apologize for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight.”
The nationalities of the passengers included four Americans, 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 and 47 from the United Kingdom.
With Post wires
