Passengers on a TAM Airlines flight experiences turbulence that was so extreme that 12 people, including passengers and crew members, were injured. The flight, which was flying from Madrid to Sao Paulo had to make an unscheduled landing following the incident.
According to TAM Airlines, Flight 8065 was forced to land in the northeastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza early Monday after the aircraft hit severe turbulence. The flight hit turbulence near Ecuador and landed in Brazil 45 minutes later. The Airbus A330-200 was carrying 200 passengers from Brazil, Spain, Poland and Columbia, the Associated Press reports.
According to passengers, the turbulence didn't last more than a few seconds but it was strong enough to cause injury to many. The turbulence caused a panic and several people were slammed into the roof of the plane cabin. Many of the passengers had been sleeping during the incident.
The airlines says that two people are still in the hospital following the incident. They didn't specify the injuries, but some witnesses said that passengers suffered from severe cuts and some even appeared to have broken bones.
TAM says two people remain hospitalized after the incident. The statement didn't specify the injuries, but passengers told local media many people suffered cuts and a few appeared to have broken bones. The airlines released an apology to passengers.
This wasn't the only incident in which passengers were injured due to turbulence recently. Also this weekend, more than 39 were injured on a Thai Airways flights when the plane ran into severe turbulence. A similar incident also occurred on a Hong Kong Airlines flight. Six people were injured in that incident.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
