BANGKOK, May 23 — All 10 Malaysians, including a flight attendant from Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321, are in stable condition, said Malaysia’s ambassador to Thailand, Datuk Jojie Samuel.
Jojie said he had met with six of the Malaysians at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital here. They were conscious, while some were able to walk, he added.
“Most of them suffer from spinal injuries and they have undergone MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT (computed tomography ) scans. But I was unable to meet with the flight attendant who had to undergo a surgery today.
“We were informed that he (flight attendant) is in stable condition despite needing surgery,” he told reporters after visiting the victims.
Jojie said the Malaysian embassy is arranging for the family of the flight attendant to visit him this evening.
“We are also providing assistance to the families of the other Malaysians.”
He said the Malaysian embassy will stay in constant communication with the Singapore embassy and the SIA to ensure that all patients will be well taken care of.
Jojie said the remaining three Malaysians will be discharged from the hospital soon.
“We were told they are not in critical condition and will be discharged,” he said.
Sixteen Malaysians were among the 211 passengers aboard the SIA SQ321 flight.
The flight with 18 crew members were travelling from London to Singapore when it encountered sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at an altitude of 37,000 feet, approximately 10 hours after departure.
The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to Bangkok, landing at 3.45pm local time on Tuesday.
The incident caused one death and multiple injuries.
On Wednesday, Suvarnabhumi Airport director Kittipong Kittikachorn said the only fatality in the incident was a 73-year-old British man.
— Bernama
