An Air Europa Boeing was forced to make an emergency landing in Natal, Brazil, on Monday after “severe turbulence” left at least seven people injured (AFP / Jorge Guerrero)
An Air Europa Boeing was forced to make an emergency landing in Natal, Brazil, on Monday after severe turbulence left around 40 people slightly injured, according to local health services.
The plane, a 787-9 Dreamliner carrying 325 passengers, left Madrid on Sunday for Montevideo.
But “due to the extent of the turbulence, for greater safety”, the plane had to be diverted to Natal, in the northeast of Brazil, where it “landed normally” on Monday, Air Europa explained in a statement.
The landing took place at 02:42 local time (05:42 GMT), Zurich Airport Brasil, the company that manages Natal’s international airport, said in a statement sent to AFP.
According to the Health Secretariat of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, of which Natal is the capital, 40 passengers were transferred to hospitals, “with scratches or minor trauma.” Eleven remained hospitalized Monday afternoon.
Among the injured are people of Spanish, Argentine, Uruguayan, Israeli, Bolivian and German nationality.
An initial report from Air Europa indicated “seven people were injured of various kinds, as well as a still undetermined number (of passengers) who suffered minor bruises”.
– Life-saving belt –
The Spanish company said the plane would remain in Natal for an “overhaul to determine the extent of the damage.”
The passengers were transferred to the city of Recife, 290 km south of Natal, “where they were accommodated before leaving soon for Montevideo,” Air Europa said, without giving further details.
One of the passengers, Mariela Jodal, posted a photo on the social network X showing that elements of the cabin ceiling had come loose. Large yellow tubes from the internal part of the aircraft were visible.
She said she was not injured “thanks to the seat belt.”
Ms Jodal went on to criticise the way the passengers were handled, saying the crew had left and the passengers were “left to fend for themselves” at Natal airport.
Claudio Fernandez Arbes, a 43-year-old Uruguayan psychologist, said a passenger suffered a heart attack and a woman broke her hip.
“The worst part was the martyrdom of those 40 to 50 minutes to Natal, when we didn’t know what was going to happen. At one point, they said we were going to continue to Montevideo and people started to protest,” he says.
In May, a 73-year-old British man died and several other passengers and crew were seriously injured in severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight aboard a Boeing 777.
Climate change is causing more turbulence in flights, scientists say.
According to a study carried out in 2023, the annual duration of turbulence increased by 17% between 1979 and 2020 and severe turbulence, which is rarer, by more than 50%.
