DMW CHECKING CONDITION OF 5 PINOYS IN SINGAPORE AIRLINES THAT HIT ‘EXTREME’ TURBULENCE THAT LEFT ONE DEAD

THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Wednesday said the government is coordinating with its Singaporean and Thai counterparts to determine the condition of the five Filipinos onboard the Singapore Airlines flight that encountered severe turbulence on Tuesday.

One died while 70 others were injured when the plane encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” at around 11,300 meters over Myanmar, during which it rose and plunged several times.

CNN Bangkok reported that 73-year-old Geoff Kitchen, who had a heart condition, died from a heart attack.

The DMW expressed concern for the safety and status of the five Filipinos onboard a Singapore Airlines flight (SQ-321) that was forced to divert to Bangkok, Thailand, after encountering extreme  air turbulence Tuesday afternoon.

The DMW’s Migrant Workers Office in Singapore (MWO-SG) is working closely with the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok (PE-BKK), Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport authorities, and airline officials to determine the five Filipino passengers’ status and condition.

The Singapore-bound flight took off from London and encountered what airline officials described as “sudden extreme turbulence” 10 hours into its flight, forcing an emergency landing in Thailand.

MWO-SG will continue monitoring the situation and update the DMW’s Head Office on the five Filipinos’ condition as soon as possible.

There were 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board the plane when the incident happened.