Monday, October 20, 2014

SIA flight hit by turbulence; 22 hurt


Eight passengers and 14 crew members were injured on Saturday (Oct 18) when a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Singapore to Mumbai was hit by turbulence on descent.

An SIA statement said: "Singapore Airlines flight SQ424 from Singapore to Mumbai experienced sudden turbulence during descent on 18 October. There were 408 passengers and 25 crew on board."

"Eight passengers and 14 crew sustained injuries and were attended to by medical personnel on arrival at Mumbai Airport. Of the 14 crew, 10 required hospitalisation. They have been cleared and discharged by the medical personnel. All 8 passengers were hospitalised and 6 have been discharged by the medical personnel after examination," it added.

"Our immediate concern is for the well-being of our passengers and crew. Singapore Airlines will provide full assistance to the authorities in their investigations," said the statement.

A passenger on the flight told Channel NewsAsia that his experience on SQ424 was "scary".

Harsh Nayyar, 30, from Australia was travelling to Mumbai to visit his family when the plane hit turbulence. In a Facebook post on the SIA page, he described the incident as "the plane losing altitude in the air". He also said that during the turbulence, passengers in the main deck, including cabin crew, "were thrown into the air" and "hit the roof of the plane".

He added that throughout the ordeal, the pilot "did not speak any word as to what had happened until the end."

SIA acknowledged Mr Nayyar's comments on its Facebook page and said that "investigations are underway". Information regarding the incident will be released "as soon as it is available", the airline added.

SOURCE


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