Passengers tell of horror as turbulence hits SIA flight

• One dead, 30 injured in mid-air plunge

BBC: Passengers have been recounting the moment severe turbulence hit their Singapore Airlines flight, launching people and objects across the cabin.

A 73-year-old British man has died from a suspected heart attack, while more than 30 people were injured when the London-Singapore flight suffered a sudden drop as a meal service was under way.

Briton Andrew Davis described “awful screaming and what sounded like a thud” in the first few seconds of the incident.

“The thing I remember the most is seeing objects and things flying through the air.

“I was covered in coffee. It was incredibly severe turbulence,” he told BBC Radio 5 live.

Another passenger said the aircraft suddenly started “tilting up” and “shaking”.

“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,” 28-year-old student Dzafran Azmir told Reuters.

“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,” he added.

The Singapore-bound Boeing 777-300ER was diverted to Bangkok, making an emergency landing at 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT).

The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said. It offered its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased, who has not yet been named.

The airline said 31 people on board the plane had been taken to hospital.

“The remaining passengers and crew are being examined and given treatment where necessary at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.” 

(https://www.bbc.com/news/ articles/c8889d7x8j4o)