The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft is seen at Natal International Airport, in Sao Goncalo do Amarante, Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, July 1, 2024. REUTERS/Alexandre Lago
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Passengers on an Air Europa flight diverted to northeastern Brazil on Monday due to severe turbulence said they feared for their lives during the incident that injured around 30 people and left six in hospital.
“There are passengers with fractures and injuries to their arms, faces and legs,” Stevan told Reuters TV in the Brazilian city of Natal, where flight UX045 from Madrid to the Uruguayan capital Montevideo made an unscheduled landing just after 2:30 a.m. local. time.
“It was a pretty horrible feeling. We thought we were going to die there,” he said, without giving his full name.
Another passenger, Maximiliano, said the plane – a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with 325 passengers on board – suddenly began to plunge.
“Overnight the plane destabilized and nosedived,” he said. “The people who didn’t have seat belts went into the air and hit the ceiling, and got hurt. The ones who did wear seat belts, not so much.”
Air Europa said in a statement on Tuesday that six people remained in hospital in Natal and were being assisted by ground crews from Brazil and Spain.
“Air Europa deeply regrets what has happened and the inconvenience caused to its customers. The airline hopes for a speedy recovery of the affected passengers and is available to all its customers to assist them,” the airline added.
The health secretariat of the government of Rio Grande do Norte state, where Natal is located, said 30 passengers were initially taken to hospitals in Natal with minor abrasions or orthopedic trauma. The carrier said a replacement flight had departed earlier in the day to take the passengers to Montevideo, transferring passengers by bus from Natal to the larger Recife airport.
It added that the plane was being examined to determine the extent of the damage
The airline did not immediately respond to a request for further comment on the incident, which occurred less than two months after one passenger was killed and dozens injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore was hit by turbulence.
Some scientists have warned of a worsening of turbulence linked to climate change.
The most common cause of turbulence is the unstable weather patterns that cause storms. These can normally be detected by weather radar, allowing pilots to fly around them.
Recent incidents have increased concerns in the aviation industry about seat belts and safety practices.
An international agreement, the Montreal Convention, makes airlines liable for personal injuries resulting from accidents on international flights, including turbulence, regardless of whether they were negligent.
