Achi news desk-
A man texted his mother “I don’t want to scare you” from a Singapore Airlines flight when the plane was hit by severe turbulence.
Josh Barker was among 211 passengers and 18 crew on the flight from London to Singapore when it was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok amid bad weather.
Passengers have spoken of their terror as some were launched into the ceiling by the sudden fall, with around 79 injured. One 73-year-old man, Geoffrey Kitchen, died of a suspected heart attack.
It has since emerged that Mr Barker, in the chaos, sent a text message to his mother believing he might be sending her his last words.
His mother Allison Barker passed on the message to the BBC, which read: “I don’t want to scare you, but I’m on a crazy flight. The plane is making an emergency landing… I love you all.”
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Ms Barker then waited for two hours before hearing from him again, saying she was shocked.
He said: “One minute, he was sitting down wearing a seat belt, the next minute, he must have passed out because he found himself on the floor with other people.”
She added that her son, who was going to Bali, suffered minor injuries.
Passengers on the plane have shared the drama on board since landing in Bangkok.
Pictures from the cabin showed oxygen masks hanging down from the ceiling of the plane, with parts fallen down or dented and broken.
Jerry, 68, who was traveling to Australia for his son’s wedding, said: “I hit my head on the ceiling, my wife did – some poor people walking around did some temporary things. “
On Wednesday morning, Singapore Airlines said 58 people were still receiving treatment at several medical facilities across Bangkok, including 20 in intensive care facilities.
A total of 27 had been released so far, the airline said. Around 131 passengers have continued their onward journey to Singapore.
As investigations began, the airline’s chief executive officer, Goh Choon Phong, issued an apology online.
In a video on social media, he said: “We are very sorry for the traumatic experience everyone on board SQ321 went through.”
He said the airline was providing all necessary support and promised to cooperate fully with investigations.
