Air Europa plane makes emergency landing. Strong turbulence over the Atlantic. Dozens injured

A Spanish Air Europa flight from Madrid to Montevideo had to make an emergency landing in Natal, Brazil, on Monday morning due to strong turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean.

The carrier reported on platform X that flight UX045 landed without any problems at Natal airport. Those injured with “various degrees of injuries” received medical care.

Trouble broke out early Monday morning as many passengers fell asleep without their seatbelts on. Some hit their heads on the ceiling and fell out of their seats, Montevideo Portal reported.

The health secretariat of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, where Natal is located, said 30 passengers with minor abrasions and bone injuries were sent to hospitals in Natal. According to Infobae, a total of 325 passengers flew on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

“It was a few seconds of chaos. We were flying over the Atlantic Ocean when they announced that there might be turbulence. A few seconds later (…) people without seatbelts flew out (of their seats – editor’s note),” one passenger told El Pais.

“There were passengers with broken bones and injuries to their arms, faces and legs,” another passenger, Stefan from Uruguay, told Reuters. – About 30 people were injured. “It was a terrible feeling, we thought we were going to die there, but thank God we didn’t,” he added.

Maximiliano, who was also on board, reported that the plane “started diving” immediately. He noted that people who were not wearing seat belts flew into the air and hit the ceiling, causing injuries.

He said that after the emergency landing, medical services provided assistance to the injured on the tarmac. – We remained on the plane for three or four hours, unable to move. “We later left the plane,” he said.