News conference due as person dies in turbulence on London-Singapore flight

1. The flight's journey

   

   Theo Leggett

   BBC International Business Correspondent

   The Singapore Airlines flight took off from Heathrow Airport at 22:30 GMT on Monday night.

   The plane was a 16-year-old Boeing 777.

   According to the airline, there was severe turbulence en-route, and the aircraft diverted to Bangkok, arriving roughly 11 and a half hours after departure.

   Singapore Airlines has confirmed that one person died in the incident and offered its deepest condolences to their family. It has added that 30 other people were receiving hospital treatment.

   Aviation safety experts say severe turbulence can't always be predicted or avoided, and research suggests it is becoming more common due to climate change. However, deaths and injuries resulting from it remain rare.

2. The plane dropped and there was screaming, passenger tells BBC

   One passenger who was onboard the Singapore Airlines flight tells the BBC the aircraft “suddenly dropped” as objects were thrown around the cabin by the turbulence.

   “I was covered in coffee,” Andrew from London tells our colleagues on 5 Live.

   “During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud."

   Once it settled Andrew says he was able to help one lady "screaming in agony" who had a "gash on her head".

   Andrew says passengers are being kept in a special part of the airport in Bangkok.

   "I will get on another flight, these are very rare occurrences," he says.

3. Authorities in Bangkok to hold news conference

   We're going to hear from authorities in Bangkok in the next few minutes, as they hold a news conference following the emergency landing of a Singapore Airlines flight earlier today.

   We'll bring you live updates on what they have to say, and you can also watch it at the top of this page by clicking the play button.

4. What we know so far

   As we mentioned in our previous post, one person has died and several others have been injured after severe turbulence hit a flight from London to Singapore.

   The flight was carrying a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said in a statement, and was forced to divert to Bangkok earlier today.

   But exactly what happened on board the flight is still unclear.

   Flight tracking data suggests the airliner dropped 6,000 feet (1,800m) in a matter of minutes after crossing the Bay of Bengal.

   Turbulence is most commonly caused by aircraft flying through cloud but there is also "clear air" turbulence which is not visible on a jet's weather radar, nor is it possible to predict.

   We're hoping to hear more about what happened from Singapore Airlines shortly.

5. One dead as London-Singapore flight hit by turbulence

   Hello and welcome to our live coverage following the death of one person during turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from London.

   Several other people were injured as the Singapore-bound Boeing 777-300ER was diverted to Bangkok and landed at 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT).

   The airline has offered its condolences to the family of the dead person, adding that it was working with Thai authorities to provide medical assistance to passengers.

   We’re expecting to hear from Singapore Airlines shortly as they hold a news conference in Bangkok, so stay with us as we bring you live updates on what they have to say.