Korean among injured after severe turbulence hit Singapore-bound flight, killing British man

The interior of Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 is pictured after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Tuesday. [REUTERS]

A Korean passenger onboard a Singapore-bound flight, where a British man died after it was hit by severe turbulence, is currently being treated at a hospital in Bangkok, where the plane made an emergency landing on Tuesday.

A total of 211 passengers, including one Korean, and 18 cabin crew members were onboard the SQ321 flight that left London on Tuesday, according to Singapore Airlines.

The Boeing 777-300ER diverted to Bangkok following the incident and made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:45 p.m. (Bangkok time).

The passengers and cabin crew were treated at the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok.

The Korean passenger had muscle pains in their neck but no fractures, according to the hospital. The hospital said the patient was set for release soon, as their injuries were not severe.

The Singapore Airlines flight experienced “sudden extreme turbulence” as it flew above Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin on Tuesday, according to an official from the airline.

Passengers on the plane recounted that the plane “suddenly dropped” without warning, with people not wearing seat belts being “launched into the ceiling” and those in the aisles getting thrown around. One 73-year-old British man, Geoff Kitchen, died from a suspected heart attack onboard.

Singapore’s prime minister has promised a “thorough investigation” into the incident that left one dead and 20 in intensive care.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]