Singapore Airlines turbulence: People seriously injured on fatal flight need ‘spinal operations’, hospital says
Many of the people seriously injured on the London-Singapore flight that hit severe turbulence need operations on their spines, a Bangkok hospital has said.
A spokesperson for the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, said six Britons are among 20 people still in intensive care after the Boeing 777 Singapore Airlines flight sharply descended 6,000ft (1,800 metres) after hitting the turbulence over the Andaman Sea.
Others in the ICU include six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
Some of the 211 passengers on board flight SQ321 described their “sheer terror” as the aircraft began shuddering, causing people to be “launched into the ceiling” while others laid paralysed on the floor.
Geoff Kitchen, 73, from Gloucestershire in the UK died from a suspected heart attack after the freak incident despite flight crew trying to revive him for 20 minutes.
Damage inside the Singapore Airlines flight. Pic: Reuters
One of the passengers, Josh Silverstone, told Sky News that there was an alert for the seatbelts to come on and then there was a “huge bang”.
“I remember waking up on the floor and just hearing people crying and I am looking around and seeing blood and the ceiling falling through,” he said.
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‘I remember waking up on the floor’
Mr Silverstone said there was an elderly lady in front of him who couldn’t move and couldn’t remember her name or why she was on the flight, while cabin crew members, who had their own injuries, were lying on the floor with passengers making sure they were okay.
The Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said it had provided medical care to a total of 104 people after the flight was diverted to Thailand.
It remains unclear what caused the turbulence. Pic: Reuters
Read more:
Images show damage inside plane
Is flight turbulence getting worse?
It remains unclear what exactly caused the turbulence, but data from Flightradar24, said “the flight encountered a rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event”.
At 3.03pm local time, the flight changed course and began its diversion to Bangkok and around 20 minutes later declared an emergency.
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Moment plane hits turbulence mapped
Tim Atkinson, an aviation consultant and pilot, told the Sky News Daily podcast he believes “it’s fairly clear” the Singapore Airlines flight “encountered atmospheric turbulence”.
He noted that the area – called the Intertropical Convergence Zone – where the Boeing 777 plunged 6,000 feet is “renowned among pilots, and I dare say passengers, for turbulence”.
World
Children killed in Ukrainian strikes on Sevastopol, Russian officials say, amid reports of panic on Crimean beach
At least six people have died and more than 100 have been wounded in Ukrainian drone and missile attacks, according to Russian authorities.
Five people, including two children, were killed by falling debris when five Ukrainian missiles were shot down in the port city of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea, said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city’s Moscow-installed governor.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said 124 people were wounded, citing the health ministry.
Video shown on Russian state TV captures what sounds like explosions, as people can be seen running for cover on a beach in Sevastopol.
Elsewhere, one person was killed and three were injured in Russia’s Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, when three Ukrainian drones attacked the city of Grayvoron, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Russia’s defence ministry said air defence forces had shot down 33 Ukrainian drones over the country’s western Bryansk, Smolensk, Lipetsk and Tula regions. No casualties or damage were reported.
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Ukraine war: Deadly Russian strike in Kharkiv
Russian bombardment of Kharkiv continues
Meanwhile, the second day of Russia’s aerial bombardment of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv has killed at least one person and injured 10, according to local officials.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the city was attacked by a guided bomb and around half of Kharkiv was without electricity because of the strike.
It came after Russia struck Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon with four aerial bombs, hitting a five-storey residential building and killing three people.
Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said 41 people were still being treated for their injuries on Sunday.
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The site of a Russian air strike in Kharkiv. Pics: Reuters
Zelenskyy calls for bolstered air defences
In a video address following Saturday’s attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s partners to bolster its air defences.
“Modern air defence systems for Ukraine – such as Patriots, accelerated training of our pilots for F-16s, and most importantly, sufficient range for our weapons – are truly necessary,” he said.
Meanwhile, two people have been injured by falling debris when two Russian missiles were shot down over the Kyiv region overnight, Ukraine’s air force commander Mykola Oleschuk said.
Six police officers have been killed and 12 have been wounded after gunmen opened fire in a series of shootings in Russia’s Dagestan region, its interior ministry says.
The attacks targeted a synagogue and an Orthodox church in Derbent as well as a police post in Makhachkala.
A priest was also killed in the attacks, according to reports.
Two of the gunmen have reportedly been shot dead.
A counter-terrorist operation is ongoing to search for gunmen in Makhachkala and Derbent, Russia’s national anti-terrorist committee said in a statement.
“Unidentified people fired at a synagogue and a church with automatic weapons,” Reuters reported the interior ministry said.
The synagogue and church were both set on fire, added the ministry.
Derbent is home to an ancient Jewish community in the South Caucasus and a UNESCO world heritage site.
The attackers then reportedly fled in a car.
There was later an exchange of gunfire at a police post in Makhachkala, about 125km (75 miles) to the north along the Caspian Sea coast, Reuters added.
Dagestan is a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia.
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A father was stopped by police as he tried to drown two small children at a beach in the US, authorities have said.
An officer had been on patrol in the city of West Haven, Connecticut, when he saw a Nissan SUV parked on the beach at around 2.30am local time (7.30am UK time) on Saturday, police said.
The officer then approached the vehicle and heard “significant screaming taking place from the water”, the force added.
West Haven Police Department said that as the officer “continued towards this commotion, it was apparent an adult male and two small children were in the water”.
“As the officer entered the water the adult male continued to drift further away with the children all while screaming at the responding officers to ‘stay back’,” the force added.
Police said it became “obvious at this point” that the man was “deliberately drowning his children”.
Responding officers ended up being around 100 yards from the shore as they approached the man and the children.
The first officer to arrive was able to get to the youngsters and other officers helped take them to shore.
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Lifesaving measures were provided to the children and they were taken to a hospital where they remained in intensive care on Saturday, according to police.
The father was in custody on Saturday.
“It is without a doubt the swift response by our patrol officers saved the lives of these children,” police said in the statement.
The incident remains under investigation.
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