Singapore Airlines confirms 47 passengers on board flight with severe turbulence were from the UK

Singapore Airlines has confirmed the number of British passengers travelling on a flight which left one person dead.

The Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER, which departed from London en route to Singapore, was forced to divert to Bangkok, Thailand, after experiencing severe turbulence.

The aircraft plane dropped from an altitude of around 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within just five minutes. (X/@JoanValls)

It landed at 15:45 local time (08:00 GMT) today, on Tuesday 21 May.

The aircraft left the UK on Monday, 20 May a little after at 22.17 local time, according to flight tracking data.

In a new statement, the airline has confirmed that 47 Brits were travelling.

"Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure," the statement reads.

"The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok, and landed at 1545hrs local time on 21 May 2024.

"We can confirm that there were multiple injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

"As of 1950hrs Singapore time on 21 May 2024, 18 individuals had been hospitalised. Another 12 were being treated in hospitals. The remaining passengers and crew were being examined and given treatment, where necessary, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

"There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.

"The nationalities of the passengers are as follows: 56 from Australia, 2 from Canada, 1 from Germany, 3 from India, 2 from Indonesia, 1 from Iceland, 4 from Ireland, 1 from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, 2 from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, 5 from the Philippines, 41 from Singapore, 1 from South Korea, 2 from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and 4 from the United States of America."

Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student onboard the flight, described the moment the plane hit severe turbulence, telling Reuters: "Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.

"Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it."

Singapore Airlines previously shared a statement confirming that 30 passengers are currently being treated in hospital.

Sadly, one passenger passed away.

(Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Cordelia Lynch, of Sky News, tweeted earlier on Tuesday (21 May) explaining that the head of Suvarnabhumi Airport had confirmed that the person who died in the tragic incident was a 73-year-old British passenger.

"Head of @suvarnabhumiair says one person has died from heart problems and is a 73-year-old British person. Possible heart attack.

"The autopsy is being carried out. 30 injured in total, 7 in critical conditions. 23 have moderate injuries. 9 cabin crew have moderate injuries."