46 Still Hospitalized After Deadly Singapore Airlines Flight, Including 22 with Spinal Injuries
Nearly two dozen people are reportedly being treated in the intensive care unit at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital following the in-air incident on Tuesday
LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty
Officials enter the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER airplane that was traveling from London to Singapore when it landed in Bangkok due to severe turbulenceSingapore Airlines says 46 people remain hospitalized after one of its planes hit severe turbulence mid-flight, leaving one person dead.
Two crew members and 44 passengers are still receiving medical treatment in Bangkok following the in-air incident on Tuesday, May 21, according to the airline's Facebook page.
Twenty people were placed in the intensive care unit at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, according to The Independent.
Hospital director Adinun Kittiratanapaibool said that number has remained unchanged, though none of the cases appear to be life-threatening.
Of the victims still hospitalized, 22 have spinal cord injuries, while six others have brain and skull injuries, Kittiratanapaibool explained.
CEO Goh Choon Phong met with affected passengers, crew and their loved ones in Bangkok on Thursday “to personally offer his support and to understand their concerns.”
“The well-being of our passengers and crew members remains our priority,” Phong said in a statement shared on Facebook the same day. “I have given them my personal assurance that we will take care of them during this difficult time.”
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Singapore Airlines says employees “have facilitated travel to Bangkok for their families and loved ones” as requested.
The ill-fated flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members from London’s Heathrow Airport to Singapore in a Boeing 777 when it encountered turbulence, according to a previous statement shared on Facebook by Singapore Airlines.
Geoffrey Kitchen, a 73-year-old grandfather, died of a suspected heart attack following the incident.
Josh Silverstone, a 24-year-old from south London, told The Independent he was among those hospitalized following the flight. He sustained a cut on his eye and a chipped tooth while traveling to Bali.
“I woke up on the floor, I didn’t realize what happened, I must’ve hit my head somewhere,” recalled Silverstone, who has since been discharged. “There were people laying out on the floor.”
Singapore Airlines is implementing new safety measures in the wake of the incident, including the suspension of meal service and hot beverage service during times “when the seat-belt sign is on," per ABC News.
“Crew members will also return to their seats and secure their seat belts when the seat-belt sign is on,” the airline said, according to the publication.
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