Brasilia: A month after a Singapore Airlines flight faced extreme turbulence leading to one death, now an Air Europa Boeing flight has been hit by “strong turbulence” and forced to make an emergency landing in Brazil, leaving 30 people reportedly injured.
The Air Europa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was flying from Madrid to Montevideo when the mid-air incident happened, the BBC quoted the airline as saying.
Flight UX045 was diverted to the airport of Natal in north-eastern Brazil on its way to the Uruguayan capital, the Spanish company said on social media X. It added that passengers who suffered injuries were “receiving attention”.
A local medical team told Brazilian media they attended to at least 30 passengers of various nationalities and that 10 of them were taken to hospital.
The patients had hit their heads during the turbulence and suffered injuries including cranial fractures and cuts to the face, the team added.
A video released by the Daily Mirror of the Boeing flight turbulence chaos showed a man stuck in overhead bin and passengers sent flying.
The plane, which had 325 passengers on board, ran into turbulence over the Atlantic when it had nearly reached the Brazilian coast, an Air Europa spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The plane landed normally and was met by a fleet of ambulances, the BBC said.
Airport officials said some passengers needed medical assistance and were taken to the nearest hospital.
The incident comes weeks after a Singapore Airlines flight was subjected to severe turbulence over Myanmar, leading to dozens of injuries and the death of a British man.
Severe turbulence is rare but recent studies have shown that climate change could be increasing the risk, the BBC report said.
