Always keep your seatbelt on for safety, air passengers advised
Authorities urge travellers to keep their seatbelts on during turbulent weather after one killed on fateful Singapore flight
People travelling on airplanes during the rainy season are advised to keep their seatbelts on at all times to stay safe, the National Institute for Emergency Medicine cautioned.
The warning came after Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 hit severe turbulence while flying over the Indian Ocean on Tuesday and descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 metres) in the span of just three minutes. The sharp drop left a British national dead and more than two dozen other passengers injured.
The Boeing 777 plane travelling from London to Singapore had to make an emergency stop at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 4pm on Tuesday amid stormy weather.
Dr Atchariya Paengma, the institute’s secretary-general, said on Wednesday that turbulence is likely to occur more frequently during the rainy season.
“Turbulence can cause the plane to descend sharply, resulting in passengers who are not wearing seatbelts to be sent up in the air and then hitting the floor violently,” he said. “It is highly recommended to wear the seatbelt throughout the flight for safety.”
Atchariya also applauded Suvarnabhumi airport staffers, who promptly contacted emergency medical units in Samut Prakan to send ambulances to the airport so injured passengers could be taken to hospital in time.
He added that the institute has been organising training exercise for airport staffers every year to ensure they can provide medical aid to victims while strictly following safety protocols during emergencies.
