A Singapore Airlines flight encountered extreme turbulence and made an emergency landing in Bangkok, sending 20 passengers, including five Filipinos, to intensive care in two Thai hospitals.

Aside from the Philippines, the other injured passengers were from Australia, Britain, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. They were brought to the Samitivej Srinakarin and Samitivej Sukhumvit hospitals.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it is closely monitoring the condition of the five Filipinos who were aboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 flying from London to Singapore.

The aircraft made an emergency landing after encountering “severe turbulence” over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar, 10 hours after departing London.

Doctors said four of the five Filipinos were in stable condition. The fifth, a Singapore-based OFW, was being closely monitored after suffering a neck fracture. They described her condition as “sensitive” but stable.

According to the Migrant Workers Office in Singapore (MWO-SG), the Filipino passengers were a family of three with a two-year-old male infant, a female Singapore-based OFW and a male Filipino passenger. Of the five Filipinos aboard the flight, two were OFWs, both of them female.

Under close monitoring

The MWO-SG and the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok said they will monitor the condition of the Filipinos until they are discharged from the hospital and are allowed to continue their journey.

According to Singapore Airlines (SIA), there were 211 passengers and 18 crew members on the flight.

A 73-year-old British man was the lone fatality, dying of a suspected heart attack, while 30 other passengers were injured.

SIA said a relief flight carrying 143 passengers and crew members arrived in Singapore early Wednesday morning.

Apart from the Filipinos under observation, 79 passengers and six crew members were still in Bangkok receiving medical treatment.

Airlines officials said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.