-min.png)
Amelia Lim, 43, vividly recalled the harrowing experience aboard Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 from London when severe turbulence struck just as breakfast service began. The Malaysian, who was en route to Singapore, clung desperately to her seat as the aircraft tilted sharply. When the turbulence subsided, the scene resembled a chaotic movie set.
"It was terrifying, like something straight out of a film. I never expected it to be so real. I was petrified, especially seeing so many people on the floor, bleeding. There was blood everywhere, on the floor and on the people," said the public relations executive in a phone interview with Malay Mail.
Lim noted that the flight had been uneventful until the sudden turbulence, which caught many passengers, including herself, off guard despite the pilot's warning to fasten seatbelts. The turbulence, though brief, felt interminable, causing passengers to be violently thrown about and loose items to become hazardous projectiles.
"There was so much movement. Objects were flying through the air and crashing down. I found myself face down on the floor. When I got up, I had to orient myself. The woman next to me was lying motionless in the aisle, likely suffering from serious injuries. Her husband had hit the ceiling and was bleeding heavily from his head," Lim recalled.
The flight, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, encountered extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet, around 10 hours after leaving London. The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the Boeing 777-300ER to Bangkok, landing at 3:45 pm local time on Tuesday.
Despite the crew's efforts, a passenger in the premium economy section suffered a fatal heart attack. Medical personnel onboard, including doctors and nurses, attempted CPR for about 20 minutes but were unsuccessful. "They called for doctors, and thankfully, there were medical personnel on board. They tried CPR for about 20 minutes, but it didn't work," Lim said.
Lim herself sustained injuries, likely including a mild concussion and facial scratches. "I think I have a mild concussion. My face is quite scratched up, looking like I've been in a boxing match," she said. She praised the flight attendants for their calmness and assistance despite some of them being injured.
"A woman nearby was in severe pain, repeatedly saying, 'My back, my back.' She seemed to be strapped down. The crew tried to calm everyone until we reached Bangkok, where the Thai emergency team was ready," she recounted.
The incident resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries. Suvarnabhumi Airport director Kittipong Kittikachorn confirmed that the sole fatality was a 73-year-old British man. Singapore Airlines reported that 16 Malaysians were among the passengers. Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand Datuk Jojie Samuel stated that three Malaysian passengers were in the ICU but none were in critical condition.
Evon Anak Jerim is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
