Extreme Turbulence on Flight Leaves 1 Dead

(USNewsBreak.com) – Turbulence occurs when an aircraft encounters irregular motion in the air. Most of the time, it’s nothing more than a few pesky bumps while you’re flying. However, sometimes, it can be dangerous. A recent flight encountered “severe turbulence,” forcing it to make an emergency landing. Sadly, one person died, and many more received injuries.

On the morning of Tuesday, May 21, a Singapore Airlines flight headed to Singapore from London carrying nearly 230 people onboard, including 18 crew members. The plane traveled at 37,000 feet altitude when it hit a pocket of turbulence over Burma, a region known for its turbulence due to seasonal monsoons.

Singapore Airlines Passenger Dead After Boeing Jet Hits ‘Severe Turbulence’https://t.co/h7I2ooL9jZ

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This time, the severe disturbance jostled people around, sending some careening into the ceiling of the Boeing 777-300ER jet before they crashed back down to the floor. Some passengers said the seatbelt sign came on too late. One man on the flight, Mr. Dzafran, said it reminded him of “a feeling of going up a roller coaster, up the crest, and suddenly dropping very dramatically.”

The incident resulted in the death of a 73-year-old British man, Geoff Kitchen. When people noticed the situation, they removed him from his seat and attempted to give him CPR for 20 minutes. At least 80 others received injuries during the episode.

The pilot radioed a distress call to Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, requesting permission to make an emergency landing. They landed 45 minutes after the turbulence rocked the plane, at around 3:45 p.m. local time. Emergency medical workers and doctors met the plane on-site to help treat the injured passengers, and first responders sent 20 to the local hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Singapore Airlines released a statement after the flight, offering “its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased” and apologizing for “the traumatic experience that [its] passengers and crew members suffered on this flight.”