Several passengers on the Singapore Airlines flight that encountered severe turbulence earlier this week will require spinal surgery, a Bangkok hospital announced on Thursday (May 23). Twenty people remain in intensive care, and a 73-year-old British man died after the Boeing 777, en route from London’s Heathrow airport to Singapore, encountered turbulence over the Andaman Sea, causing items and passengers to be violently thrown around the cabin.
A representative from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, which treated most of the 104 injured individuals, told the Associated Press that other local hospitals have been asked to provide their top specialists to assist with the treatments. The spokesperson requested anonymity in accordance with hospital policy.
At a news conference yesterday, hospital director Adinun Kittiratanapaibool reported that none of the 20 ICU patients were in life-threatening condition. The patients include six Britons, six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans, and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
Hospital treating 41 passengers, 20 in ICU
As of Thursday morning, 41 people remained at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, with 22 suffering from spinal injuries, six from skull or brain injuries, and 13 from other injuries. The patients range in age from 2 to 83 years old. The hospital has already conducted 17 surgeries, including nine for spinal injuries. Thirteen other injured individuals are being treated at two other branches of the hospital.
When asked about the prognosis for the most severe cases, Adinun said it was too early to determine if any patients might suffer permanent paralysis. Doctors will monitor muscle function recovery post-surgery.
What happened on the Singapore Airlines flight?
Passengers have described the terror of the incident, with the aircraft shuddering, loose items flying, and injured people lying immobile on the floor. The cause of the turbulence, which resulted in a rapid 6,000-foot descent in about three minutes, remains unclear. The flight, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was diverted to Thailand.
Malaysian passenger Amelia Lim, 43, recounted her experience to the Malay Mail newspaper, describing the chaos on board and the injured lying in pools of blood. She mentioned that the woman seated next to her was motionless in the aisle, likely suffering from a severe injury.
Thai authorities suggested that the British man who died might have had a heart attack. Passengers reported that the flight crew performed CPR on him for about 20 minutes.
On Wednesday morning, a special Singapore Airlines flight transported 143 uninjured or lightly injured passengers to Singapore.
