Several photos on social media show broken ceiling panels, with pipes and wires visible.
An Air Europa flight from Madrid to Montevideo made an emergency landing in Brazil after being hit by severe turbulence that left passengers trapped in overhead bins and dozens of others with head, neck and chest injuries. The plane, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with 325 people on board, was diverted in the early hours of the morning to Natal airport, in northeastern Brazil, where more than a dozen ambulances were waiting.
Videos from inside the plane emerged on social media, showing passengers helping a colleague out of a storage area in the overhead compartment. It is still unclear how the man was housed in space. Several passengers claimed that those not wearing seat belts were thrown from their seats by the strong turbulence, hitting the ceiling.
Watch the video here:
1 penumpang sampai nyangkut in the cabin’s upper compartment Peswat and 30 penumpang cedera akibat turbulence di Samudra Atlantik !
On June 30, 24, 30 penumpang cedara ketika Pesawat Air Europa with nomor penerbangan UX45 from Madrid to Montevideo terkena clear air turbulence… pic.twitter.com/CmAlfQE6pW
-Gerry Soejatman (@GerryS) July 2, 2024
The Spanish airline announced in a post on X that the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was traveling from Madrid to Uruguay when the incident occurred.
“Our flight UX045 to Montevideo was diverted to Natal airport (Brazil) due to strong turbulence,” the airline wrote in X in translation from Spanish. “The plane landed normally and the reported minor injuries are already being treated.”
Several photos on social media show broken ceiling panels, with pipes and wires visible.
Forty passengers were taken to hospitals and clinics in Natal for treatment of “abrasions and minor traumas”, said the health department of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. AFP.
Eleven remained hospitalized at Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital until this Monday afternoon.
Among the injured were citizens of Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Israel, Bolivia and Germany.
Air Europa previously said seven passengers were treated for “various injuries”, while an undisclosed number received medical treatment for bruises.
It added that a plane was being sent from Madrid to pick up passengers while the stricken Boeing was examined for damage in Natal.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
