Twenty people who were aboard a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence and made an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday remain in intensive care but none have life-threatening conditions, say hospital officials.
“The number of patients in ICU remains the same (as on Wednesday),” Dr Adinun Kittiratanapaibool, director of Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, told reporters on Thursday.
The patients are in ICU because they “need close attention”, he said, but added that currently there were no life-threatening cases.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident on Tuesday, three local hospitals admitted a total of 85 people — 79 passengers and six crew. Fifty-eight remained in hospital as of Wednesday afternoon but 18 have since been discharged.
Of the 40 people still under treatment, 22 patients have spinal cord injuries and six have brain and skull injuries, Dr Adinun said. The rest were being treated for various bone and muscle injuries.
“We have never treated people with these kinds of injuries caused by turbulence,” he told reporters.
“Some patients suffered from paralysis but the weakness of the muscles is changing all the time. We have to observe them every day. It’s too soon to determine if it will be permanent.”
The injured at the hospital range in age from two to 83, he said.
A total of 17 patients have undergone surgery, he added.
A presentation prepared by the hospital said 41 people — 19 men and 22 women — were still under treatment, but one person was subsequently discharged.
Ten British, nine Australian, seven Malaysian and four Philippine citizens were among the 41 people, according to the presentation given by Dr Adinun.
He did not specify how many people were passengers and how many were crew.
One passenger died of a suspected heart attack and dozens were injured after Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 encountered what the airline described as “sudden, extreme turbulence” while flying over Myanmar on Tuesday afternoon.
Numerous passengers were flung about violently inside the cabin, with many striking their heads on overhead luggage bins. The captain declared an emergency and contacted Suvarnabhumi Airport to get clearance for an emergency landing.
The London-Singapore flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members. More than 140 passengers and crew from the flight arrived in Singapore on Wednesday morning.
Singapore Airlines said on Thursday evening that a total of 65 people from the flight were still in Bangkok, though not all of them were in hospital.