Hospital gives update on passengers injured in SQ321 turbulence
Samitivej Hospital provides updated information on the conditions of passengers injured on Singapore Airlines flight from London
Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital has provided an update on the passengers injured when Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London experienced severe turbulence earlier this week and was forced to divert to Bangkok.
Forty people of various nationalities were transferred to the hospital and are currently receiving treatment, In a briefing on Thursday (May 22), Adinun Kittirattanapaibool, director of Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, confirmed that any patients showing improvement will be allowed to return home immediately. He also emphasised that the hospital is fully prepared to care for patients affected by this incident.
A total of 41 injured individuals were admitted to Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, among them 10 British nationals, 9 Australians, 7 Malaysians, 4 Filipinos, 2 Americans, 2 New Zealanders, and 1 person each from Myanmar, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, South Korea, Singapore, and Spain.
The injuries are categorised as follows: 22 have spinal and back injuries, 6 have skull and brain injuries, and 13 have bone, muscle, and other types of injuries. Based on the severity of the injuries, one patient, who was previously in a critical condition, has shown significant improvement and has been permitted by the doctors to return home.
As of the latest update, Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital is currently caring for 40 patients. Seventeen patients have undergone surgery: 5 had cervical spine surgery, 4 had thoracic spine surgery, and 8 had surgery to repair lacerations. There are still 20 patients in the ICU. The ages of the patients range from 2 to 83 years old.
The condition of the paediatric patients is not a cause for concern, and there are no patients in critical danger of death. It is still too early to determine whether any patients will suffer permanent disabilities, as this requires ongoing evaluation by the medical team.
"The medical team evaluates the patients' conditions daily. If a patient shows improvement and is ready, they will be allowed to return home. The hospital coordinates continuously with embassies and relevant agencies," Adinun said.
He also provided assurances that the hospital has sufficient specialised personnel and medical teams to provide care for all the patients.
No information is currently available on the conditions of the 15 patients at Samitivej Sukhumvit and the two at Bangkok Hospital.
