SQ321 incident: 44 people remain hospitalised in Bangkok
A total of 44 people injured during severe air turbulence on Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 on May 21 remained hospitalised on May 25, said Singapore Airlines in a Facebook post on May 25.
Its latest update at about 8.30 pm said 43 passengers and one crew member were being treated in Bangkok hospitals.
Earlier in the day, the Bangkok hospital treating most of the passengers said that 43 passengers remained in the hospital.
According to an update from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, 34 passengers remain on its premises as of noon on May 25. Another seven are at Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital and two are at Bangkok Hospital.
The 34 at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital – comprising 15 men and 19 women – hail from countries such as Australia, Britain, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Seven of them are in the intensive care unit (ICU).
The hospital added that two patients have been discharged from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, while two patients transferred from Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital to Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital to join their hospitalised relatives.
It was reported on May 24 that a Singaporean who was previously in the ICU at a Bangkok hospital had been discharged.
Samitivej is a group of private hospitals that typically serves Bangkok’s higher-income and expatriate population.
Flight SQ321, which was heading to Singapore from London, experienced sudden extreme turbulence on May 21 over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar. One passenger – 73-year-old Briton Geoffrey Kitchen – died while dozens were injured.
The pilot diverted the Boeing 777-300ER carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after declaring a medical emergency, before making an emergency landing at 3.45 pm (4.45 pm Singapore time).
Chin Hui Shan
The Straits Times
Asia News Network
