Photo: Diy13 / iStock / Getty Images
An Air Europa flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Brazil after experiencing severe turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean. Flight UX045 was flying from Spain to Uraguay when it suddenly encountered turbulence near the Brazilian coast.
The shaking sent one passenger flying into an overhead bin and left around 40 others injured. Some of the injuries were minor and included bruising and facial injuries, while others suffered back and head fractures from hitting the ceiling.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which was carrying more than 300 passengers, was diverted to Natal, where it landed safely. Over a dozen ambulances were waiting on the runway to treat the injured passengers.
Passengers said the turbulence lasted for more than three seconds.
"Those who did not have a seatbelt flew, and some remained hooked to the ceiling. It lasted about 3.5 seconds," Norys, a Venezuelan passenger living in Uruguay, told local newspaper El Observador via Newsweek. "A long time after that, there was very slight turbulence, barely felt, and suddenly, the plane abruptly falls and we all rise."
Videos posted on social media showed the damage caused by the turbulence, which dislodged the ceiling panels and caused the oxygen masks to deploy.