Ceiling ripped apart, dented lockers: Video shows aftermath of violent turbulence on SIA plane

A video showing the aftermath of the turbulence on board Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321 has surfaced on social media.

In the over one-minute-long video circulating on X (formerly Twitter), the body of a passenger, a 73-year-old British man, is seen lying face down near the front of the plane and covered with a blanket.

Two police officers are seen taking the statements of people on board and multiple airport personnel are shuffling in and out of frame.

A shorter version of the video was posted by posted by Thai media Khao Sod and captioned: "Revealing clip of conditions inside Singapore Airlines flight SQ321... Things scattered everywhere. Torn air pipe and oxygen masks deployed. There were blood-like stains on the ceiling and a deceased body on board."

The aircraft is seen to be in disarray, with mangled pipes hanging from parts of the ripped ceiling and some overhead compartments dented and even torn off.

Bottles of wine, electrical appliances and various food items are also strewn across the floor in the area where in-flight meals are stored.

As the person recording walks along the aisle, more debris can be seen on the seats and all over the floor.

There are also multiple splatters seen on the walls of the plane, one of which looks to be blood.

Oxygen masks are seen hanging, with some appearing damaged, while others have been flung across the seats. 

People inside loo were hurt the most

Dzafran Azmir, a passenger on board the plane, told Reuters that the crew and people inside lavatories were hurt the most.

"We discovered people just on the ground not able to get up. There were a lot of spinal and head injuries," the 28-year-old Malaysian student said.

Azmir added that he saw at least 8 people on stretchers being pulled out of the emergency exits and it took 90 minutes to evacuate the plane.

Another video posted to X by Thai PBS shows emergency personnel carrying someone out on a stretcher with passengers watching.

A cabin crew member familiar with the route and who declined to be identified, said to AsiaOne: "Usually these elderly British come to Singapore, and they'll take a cruise around Southeast Asia as part of their holiday. So sad he has to go this way."

41 of the passengers from Singapore: SIA

In a series of statements made on Tuesday (May 21) on Facebook, SIA said that flight SQ321 encountered sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure.

The pilot then declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok, and landed at 3.45pm local time on Tuesday.

SIA confirmed that 18 individuals have been hospitalised and another 12 are being treated in hospitals.

The remaining passengers and crew are being examined and given treatment, where necessary, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board and 41 of the passengers are from Singapore, said SIA.

The nationalities of the other passengers are: 56 from Australia, two from Canada, one from Germany, three from India, two from Indonesia, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five from the Philippines, one from South Korea, two from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and four from the United States of America.

The airline also said it will continue to provide regular updates on its Facebook and X accounts.

The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of the Ministry of Transport is investigating  the incident, said the ministry in a statement on Tuesday.

TSIB is in touch with its Thai counterparts and will be deploying investigators to Bangkok.

US aircraft manufacturer Boeing extended its condolences to the family of the British man who died aboard SQ321, a Boeing 777-300ER.

"We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them," Boeing said on X.

ALSO READ: 1 dead, 30 injured after severe turbulence on London-Singapore SIA flight

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com