Grim footgage has emerged of the aftermath of a deadly Singapore Airlines flight that descended into chaos after the Boeing plane hit severe turbulence, claiming the life of a pensioner.
A Brit, now revealed as Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, 73, died and several other passengers aboard Flight SQ321 have suffered injuries after it encountered difficulty amid thunderstorms at around 37,000ft.
It was destined for Singapore Changi Airport but had to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, after dropping 6,000ft in just three minutes.
READ MORE:First picture of man killed on Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 after severe turbulence
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(Image: X)
Inside the plane as it fell
Photos, which have emerged on social media site X, show distressed passengers, including a severely bloodied man in his seat. In another picture, a woman is embraced by her fellow passenger.
Singapore Airlines staff are pictured in their seats, and one woman has a cut on her face. Further images capture the carnage left on the floor of the cabin. Food from the in-flight meals is strewn on the floor amid the debris.
(Image: X)
Air masks are seen deployed, as in the case when aircrafts experience emergency landings. However, one snap shows ceiling fittings ripped apart and the pipework exposed. Machinery is hanging from the galley where trolleys are stored.
More than 200 passengers were aboard the Boeing 777, which left London Heathrow last night. A passenger on board said the plane suffered a “dramatic drop”, meaning people not wearing a seatbelt were “launched immediately into the ceiling”.
Death on board
The deceased passenger likely suffered a heart attack, airport authorities said.
It is believed he would have been hurled from side-to-side when the plane was struck by turbulence.
(Image: Viral Press)
Mr Kitchen, believed to be from Thornbury, Gloucestershire, died and several other passengers aboard Flight SQ321 have suffered injuries after it encountered difficulty amid thunderstorms.
Tracking data published by FlightRadar24 shows the plane was cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet over the Andaman Sea off the coast of Myanmar shortly after 9am BST when it sharply dropped by 6,000 feet.
Aftermath
Airport authorities said around 100 of the passengers are well enough to continue their journey to Singapore this evening.
Those injured have largely suffered minor wounds, including cuts and bruises, the airport confirmed in a press conference this afternoon. No one is thought to be in a critical condition.
A video that has emerged on X purports to show the cabin in a state of disarray.
(Image: X)
Aviation journalist Josh Cahill shared the clip, writing: “Aftermath of Singapore Airlines flight 321 from London to Singapore which had to divert to Bangkok due to severe turbulence.
” [sic] One death passenger and several injured. Blood everywhere, destroyed cabin.”
Speaking to Sky News, Passenger Dzafran Azmir said: “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 seatbelts 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.”
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