SINGAPORE: Several passengers and crew members of an SQ321 Singapore Airlines flight experienced severe turbulence over Asia, and sustained serious skull, brain, and spinal injuries according to the chief of a hospital in Bangkok. As a result, injured victims left Thailand in air ambulances, while others had nurses and doctors accompanying them on commercial flights.
Following the terrifying high-altitude ordeal on Tuesday, flight SQ321 had to make an emergency landing in the Thai capital, leaving twenty people in critical care. Hospital chief in Bangkok reported that six of them are British, six are Malaysian, three are Australian, two are Singaporean, and one is from each of Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines
According to an Airline official, SQ321 was on its way from London to Singapore and experienced sudden and strong turbulence which made both the crew and passengers go up in the air and hit the ceiling. The aircraft was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, a 73-year-old British man named Mr Geoff Kitchen, 73, died on board, likely because of a heart attack, while 104 others suffered brain and spinal cord injuries.
Update On Patient Rehabilitation By Dr. Saran Intakul
The day after the incident, 58 passengers were admitted to three hospitals, including 20 of them in the ICU., the hospital’s deputy director said, that about 10 passengers were still in Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Thailand, for more than two weeks after the incident. However, most of them are okay to travel and will probably leave the hospital in the next few weeks.
Dr Saran said the passengers who needed an air ambulance required further treatment or rehabilitation for the injuries sustained on the flight.
“They can’t move their body as usual, so they need to have some escort to help them (travel) back home,” he added. When questioned, if these patients were experiencing paralysis, Dr. Saran said “Sort of that”, but did not elaborate.
At that time, five Singaporeans from the flight, including two in ICU, were receiving treatment in Thailand.
Dr Saran Intakul expressed relief that many patients have returned home and those who are still in the hospital are in good condition. He also said it’s hard to predict how long it would take for those with spine injuries to recover because it depends on multiple factors including their willpower and the medical care they receive.
He also informed that the age range of the injured victims at the hospital is two to eighty-three years old.
‘Singapore Airlines’ Response
During the incident at 11,300 meters (37,000 feet), a passenger described that people were flung around the cabin so forcefully that they caused dents in the ceiling.
The CEO of Singapore Airlines, Goh Choon Phong, has apologized for the “traumatic experience” and sent his sympathies to the deceased’s family. On Wednesday, a special flight brought 131 passengers and 12 staff members to Changi Airport in Singapore so they could resume their travels or head back home.
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