By Aarav Sapra
Singapore recently released information regarding the sudden deadly turbulence that hit Flight SQ321 about 10 hours into a 13-hour trip to Singapore from London. Unfortunately, officials reported that a 73-year-old man from Britain died, along with 70 other people who were injured during the flight. The turbulence hit as the plane reached thirty-seven thousand feet, traveling over Myanmar. The cause of this turbulence is unknown, but the Transport Ministry later informed the media that an updraft had occurred moments after the incident. In addition, they state that as the plane rose 362 feet, it also sped up unexpectedly around the same time, eventually leading to the pilots needing to brake the aircraft and take control manually. All of this spontaneous activity ultimately led to the injuries that many passengers and flight members received, and particularly further impacted individuals who were not securely placed in their seats.
Moments after the disaster, the plane was diverted to Bangkok, Thailand. The 70 people who were wounded were then transported to the Samitivej Srinakarin hospital. The hospital said six of the 70 people from the flight who were being treated in its medical organization were seriously injured. Some nationalities of individuals were disclosed, with four wounded as being from Britain, three from Malaysia, two from New Zealand and the U.S. respectively, and lastly, one from Ireland and Spain respectively. Other victims’ nationalities were kept confidential and were not known. However, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said it is thoroughly inspecting the event and will send investigators to Bangkok. Furthermore, Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s minister for transport, declared in a statement that he was “deeply anguished to learn about the incident.” On the other hand, Singapore Airlines offered its consolations to the family of the person who died on the flight, also adding that “we sincerely apologize for the traumatic incident that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight.”
Yet, it is still unclear what caused this mysterious event. As the plane traveled across Myanmar, data from satellites showed a strong storm beginning to form and continuing to follow along higher elevations, suggesting that the region’s environment was becoming hazardous. The plane was also moving toward other storms developing along Myanmar’s coast. However, other recent research proves that turbulence is rising due to the changes in climate and the elevated quantities of greenhouse gasses being emitted into the atmosphere.
