Air Europa passengers 'thought we were going to die' during severe turbulence
Those on board a Uruguay-bound Air Europa flight that was diverted to Brazil due to "heavy turbulence" Monday say they feared for their lives.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner left from Madrid-Barajas Airport in Madrid with a final destination of Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Sunday night.
During the early morning hours on Monday, the aircraft carrying 325 passengers experienced heavy turbulence.
"There are passengers with fractures and injuries to their arms, faces, and legs," a passenger named Stevan told Reuters TV in the Brazilian city of Natal, where flight UX045 from Madrid to Montevideo made an unscheduled landing just after 2.30 a.m. local time.
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"It was a pretty horrible feeling. We thought we were going to die there," he said, without giving his full name.
The turbulence left dozens injured, some seriously.
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"As a result of the event, 7 people were injured of varying degrees, as well as an undetermined number of people with minor contusions," Air Europa officials said in a statement to FOX Business. "Due to the nature of the turbulence and for safety reasons, it was decided to divert the flight to Natal International Airport in Brazil."
Air Europa told Reuters on Tuesday that six people were still in the hospital in Natal.
The health secretariat from the government of Rio Grande do Norte state, where Natal is located, said 30 passengers had initially been taken to hospitals in Natal with minor abrasions or orthopedic traumas.
Passengers shared similar experiences on social media and with news outlets.
"Strong turbulence caused us to fly into the ceiling," X user @romiapai posted in Spanish along with video from inside the plane.
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"From one moment to the next, the plane destabilized and went into a dive," passenger Maximiliano told Reuters. "The people who didn't have seat belts went up in the air and hit the ceiling, and they got hurt - those who had seat belts on, not so much."
The most common cause of turbulence is the unstable weather patterns that trigger storms. These can normally be detected by weather radar, allowing pilots to fly around them.
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Recent incidents have increased concern in the air travel industry about seat belt and safety practices.
FOX Business' Greg Wehner and Reuters contributed to this report.