Posted by 
Nine Australians are among dozens of injured travellers remaining in Bangkok hospitals days after sustaining injuries on a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence.
At 3pm today (6pm AEST), 55 patients from 13 countries were still hospitalised.
Many of the more seriously injured patients needed spinal operations, according to Bangkok's Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, where 41 patients remained.
READ MORE: What is clear-air turbulence and can pilots avoid it?
The hospital said it had provided medical care to a total of 104 people and 20 remained in intensive care, including three Australians.
One man told 9News he had five family members on board, four of whom were injured, including his wife, who suffered a broken jaw.
British passenger Josh Silverstone was lucky to walk out of hospital with just a chipped tooth and cut eye after he hit his head.
He said he was scared of flying before the incident and is "even more scared now".
"A lot of people have got some spinal issues from hitting their head and connecting back down, so they've had quite a few scans," Silverstone said.
"There were a lot of people can barely move their back and I am very fortunate to be able to walk and come out here only really 24 hours later."
Newlyweds Ali and Ramiza Bukhari are physically fine but "traumatised" after the plane dropped while they were on their way home from their honeymoon in Iceland.
READ MORE: New Zealand man finds guns, ammo while metal detecting
"At that moment both of us just assumed the worst. I was sort of preparing to say goodbye. We just didn't know the extent of the situation," Ali said.
"I was just doing my best to try and comfort my wife to let her know that everything is going to be okay."
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed earlier that the injured Australians were receiving treatment in Bangkok Hospitals.
"The Australian government offers its sympathies to those affected by the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 incident," a spokesperson for the department said.
"Consular officials from the Australian embassy in Bangkok are providing consular assistance to Australians affected by the incident including 12 Australian citizens and one permanent resident in hospital in Bangkok.
READ MORE: Accused triple mushroom murderer fronts Supreme Court for the first time
"One other Australian was hospitalised after the incident but has now been discharged.
"Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (from within Australia)."
The first Australians who were not harmed in the incident began returning to Sydney last night, with more flights expected to land in the next 24 hours.
A total of 211 people were on the flight, including 56 Australians.
Flight SQ321 dropped 6000 feet after hitting clear air turbulence on Monday night, resulting in dozens of injuries and one death.
READ MORE: Neighbour 'blocks view of the sea' with beachside fence
In one of the latest accounts of the chaos on board, 43-year-old Malaysian Amelia Lim described finding herself face down on the floor.
"I was so afraid. I could see so many individuals on the floor, they were all bleeding. There was blood on the floor as well as on the people," she told the online Malay Mail newspaper.
The woman who had been seated next to her was "motionless in the aisle and unable to move, likely suffering from a hip or spinal injury", she added.
Tourism and aviation expert Anita Mendiratta, who is based in London, said the extreme turbulence was "extremely unusual".
She said passengers should listen to instructions to keep their seatbelts on, ensure hand baggage is put away safely when not in use, and reduce items stowed in the overhead compartments.
"When there is turbulence, those doors can open and all of the items up top, whether it's our hand baggage, our jackets, our duty free items, they become movable and they become a risk to us all," she told The Associated Press.
