5 Pinoys hurt in Singapore Airlines flight hit by severe turbulence

Five Filipinos were injured onboard the Singapore Airlines flight from London that hit severe turbulence while en route to Thailand, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Wednesday.

The DMW earlier confirmed there were five Filipino passengers onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ-321. The agency is now closely monitoring their condition, which includes a two-year-old boy traveling with his parents.

The child’s mother is an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), a staff nurse in the United Kingdom while his father has no record as an OFW. The other passengers were a female Singapore-based OFW employed in the information technology sector and a male Filipino with no record as an OFW.

According to the DMW, the affected Filipinos were rushed to various hospitals in Bangkok and are now in stable condition. Doctors, however, said they are observing the condition of one of the affected Filipinos who suffered a neck fracture.

The Philippine Embassy in Bangkok and the DMW’s Migrant Workers Office in Singapore (MWO-SG)  will monitor their condition until they are discharged and can continue their journey.

Singapore Airlines flight

One elderly passenger died while 30 others were hurt in the incident. Seven were listed as critical due to head injuries.

"Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. We deeply apologize for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight," the airline said.

The London-to-Singapore flight carrying over 200 passengers and 18 crew members encountered heavy turbulence over the Indian Ocean and descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Bangkok.

Singapore Airlines did not say what type of turbulence was involved, but aviation experts suspect it to be clear-air turbulence (CAT), considered to be the most dangerous type of turbulence.

Clear-air turbulence (CAT) is virtually undetectable with current technology, meaning it can hit without warning — making it all the more important for passengers on a plane to wear seatbelts whenever seated, safety experts said.

The fatality was a 73-year-old British man who is believed to have suffered a heart attack. Eighteen people have been hospitalized.

Turbulence-related airline accidents are the most common type, according to a 2021 study by the National Transportation Safety Board.

From 2009 through 2018, the US agency found that turbulence accounted for more than a third of reported airline accidents and most resulted in one or more serious injuries, but no aircraft damage.

Singapore Airlines, which is widely recognized as one of the world's leading airlines and is a benchmark for much of the industry, has not had any major incidents in recent years.—RF, GMA Integrated News