Singapore Airlines turbulence: Hongkonger in Bangkok hospital intensive care unit
- Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok says Hong Kong resident is one of 13 patients in intensive care at its Srinakarin branch
- Flight SQ321 made an emergency landing in Bangkok after encountering extreme turbulence that left one passenger dead
A Hongkonger is among 20 people still in intensive care in Bangkok hospitals after suffering injuries during severe turbulence that left one passenger dead on a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday.
Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok said on Wednesday that a Hong Kong resident was one of 13 patients in intensive care at its Srinakarin branch.
Five Malaysians, three Australians and two Britons were among the other patients in the hospital’s intensive care units, it said.
Another seven people were in the intensive care unit of another branch of the hospital.
They were among 56 people on the London to Singapore flight who remained hospitalised as of 1pm. Another 27 have been discharged.
The hospital said it treated 102 victims on Tuesday, including 19 at its clinic.
Two more patients were sent to Bangkok Hospital for treatment.
Hong Kong’s Immigration Department said on Wednesday night it had not received any request for help from residents so far.
It said it would maintain contact with China’s foreign affairs arm in Hong Kong, the Chinese embassy in Thailand, the city’s Travel Industry Council, the Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok, and relevant hospitals and airlines to monitor the situation.
Flight SQ321 made an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon. The Boeing 777-300ER, which was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members. encountered sudden extreme turbulence over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin, according to Singapore Airlines.
A 73-year-old Briton died from a suspected heart attack, while several passengers were carried off the plane on stretchers. The passenger who died was named by news outlets as Geoff Kitchen.
The BBC reported that Kitchen helped run a local theatre group and was described as “always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity”.
Airline CEO Goh Choon Phong said in a video message that 143 passengers and crew members who were able to travel landed in Singapore on Wednesday at 5.05am.
Seventy-nine passengers and six crew members are still in Bangkok.
