A harrowing mid-air encounter with severe turbulence left 30 passengers injured and a viral video showcasing the incident's chaos. Air Europa flight UX045, travelling from Madrid, Spain to Montevideo, Uruguay, was forced to make an emergency landing in Natal, Brazil on Monday.
The turbulence was so intense that passengers were thrown from their seats. One particularly shocking video making the rounds on social media shows a man's legs dangling from an overhead luggage compartment. Fellow passengers are seen scrambling to help him down.
Passengers shared videos capturing the chaos and aftermath of the turbulence, including footage of a man's feet protruding from an overhead bin, believed to have been thrown there. Witnessed efforts to retrieve him while a baby cried in the background.
Watch the post:
Additional footage displayed torn ceiling panels, a damaged seat, and oxygen masks hanging loose following the turbulence on the flight, which had 325 passengers aboard.
Air Europa reported that all passengers were receiving treatment for injuries "of varying degrees" and reassured that the flight had landed without incident. The plane has landed normally and the injuries of varying degrees that were recorded are already being treated," the aircraft announced.
According to The New York Post, a passenger named Norys recalled being relaxed and enjoying his flight home from a European tour when the captain suddenly issued a turbulence alert, instructing everyone to fasten their seatbelts and stay seated. "A long time after that, there was a very, very slight turbulence, it was barely felt, and from one moment to the next the plane abruptly fell and we all went up," Norys told Uruguayan outlet El Observador.
According to Uruguay's Foreign Ministry, the injured individuals were receiving medical care at Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital in Natal, with arrangements being made for their transportation back to Montevideo.
Air Europa announced a new flight departing from Madrid to accommodate passengers who opted against taking a bus back to Uruguay, as reported by The New York Post.
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