5 Pinoys injured on turbulence-hit flight

(UPDATE) SINGAPORE Airlines confirmed on Wednesday that five Filipinos were on the flight from London to the island city-state that experienced severe turbulence, resulting in the death of a 73-year-old male British passenger.

The lone fatality died of a heart attack, while 30 others suffered injuries.

Around midnight on Wednesday, the airline said on a Facebook post that five Filipinos were among the 211 passengers and 18 crew members on flight SQ 321 that took off from London Heathrow Airport.

The Philippine Embassy in Singapore said it was coordinating with authorities to attend to the needs of the five Filipino passengers.

The extreme turbulence forced the plane to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand.

«We can confirm that there were multiple injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. We deeply apologize for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight,» the post read.

Other passengers on board the flight were from Australia, Canada, the United States, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

An announcement from the airline said 131 passengers and 12 crew members arrived in Singapore through a relief flight on Wednesday and were received by Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong.

Based on recent updates, 79 passengers and six crew were still in Thailand, including those receiving medical care.

«Transportation to their homes or hotel accommodation has been arranged for passengers traveling to Singapore. For passengers with onward connections, we have rebooked them on alternative flights. We have also arranged hotel accommodation or lounge access for them to rest until their next flight,» the airline said.