“We thought we were going to die,” one passenger told Reuters of the Air Europa flight from Spain to Uruguay
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A stock photo of a flight
According to reports, 30 people have been injured after a passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Brazil due to severe turbulence.
Spanish airline Air Europa announced in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, July 1, that the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was en route from Madrid to Uruguay when the incident occurred.
“Our flight UX045, bound for Montevideo, has been diverted to Natal Airport (Brazil) due to strong turbulence,” the airline wrote on X in a translation from Spanish. “The plane landed normally and the minor injuries that were reported are already being treated.”
According to Reuters, about 30 passengers were injured on the flight. “There are passengers with fractures and injuries to their arms, faces and legs,” a passenger identified only as Stevan told the outlet. “It was a pretty horrible feeling. We thought we were going to die there.”
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Fasten seat belt sign in airplane
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“Suddenly the plane became unstable and went into a nosedive,” fellow passenger Maximiliano told Reuters. “The people who were not wearing seat belts went up into the air and hit the ceiling, and were injured — those who were wearing seat belts, not so much.”
The guard reported that the injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Natal. Air Europa added in a press release to PEOPLE that six passengers remained in the city’s hospital Tuesday and “are being cared for by Air Europa ground crew from Brazil.”
On Tuesday morning, an Air Europa reserve plane also transported 303 passengers to Montevideo, Uruguay, the press release said.
Related: 1 dead, multiple injured after flight from London to Singapore hit by ‘severe turbulence’
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A Boeing 737 from Air Europa
“The company, which has done everything it can to help its customers at all times, despite the fact that it has no office in the region, is prioritizing the assistance of those affected and wishes them a speedy recovery,” the press release said.
“Air Europa took the passengers by bus to the city of Recife, where the characteristics of the airport facilitate the operation of the long-haul fleet. Once there, they boarded a new plane from Madrid, sent especially for this trip, and flew to Montevideo in the early hours of the morning.”
“Air Europa deeply regrets what happened and the inconvenience caused to its customers,” the press release said. “The airline hopes for a speedy recovery of the affected passengers and remains at the disposal of all its customers to assist them in any way possible. The airline is also grateful for the assistance provided at all times by the authorities and emergency services in Natal.”
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