Singapore Airlines CEO for apologizes for flight incident resulting in one death, 71 injuries

The video was posted on the airlines' Facebook page where Goh said Singapore Airlines "was deeply saddened by the incident" and apologised "for the traumatic experience that everyone onboard SQ321 went through" during the extreme turbulence that occurred during the flight on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

"Our priority is to render all possible assistance to our passengers and crew members," Goh said.

The airline is cooperating with relevant authorities on the investigations and will provide updates through its social media channels, he added.

The flight fell into an air pocket while cabin crew were serving breakfast before it encountered turbulence, prompting the pilots to request an emergency landing, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn told a press conference.

More than 140 passengers and crew from the flight reached Singapore on a relief flight Wednesday morning after an emergency landing in Bangkok.

Photographs from the interior of the plane showed large gashes in the overhead cabin panels, gas masks and panels hanging from the ceiling and items of hand luggage strewn around. A passenger said some people's heads had slammed into the lights above the seats and punctured the panels.

The flight on a Boeing N777-300ER from London to Singapore hit severe turbulence on Tuesday when the plane was flying over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar about 10 hours into the flight, the airline said.

There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board. Most of the passengers are Australians, British and Singaporean.

While the airline said 30 people were injured, Samitivej Hospital in Thailand said it was treating 71 passengers.

It has been confirmed that a 73-year-old British passenger died of a suspected heart attack.