Severe turbulence: 11 people seriously injured during flight to Honolulu Giant wave on beach in South Africa – 3 dead, 17 injured

During a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to Honolulu, Hawaii, 36 people were injured, 11 of them seriously, in severe turbulence. A 14-month-old child and a teenager were also among the injured, US media reported on Monday night, authorities said.

Due to the extreme air turbulence at an altitude of about 11,000 meters, some passengers were thrown from their seats and at least one person fell to the ceiling. Dents and tears in the ceiling trim can be seen in photos of the interior of the Airbus A330-243. There were 238 passengers and 10 crew members on board the Hawaiian Airlines plane.

According to the airline, the plane landed at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu around 11 a.m. local time on Sunday. Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said medical personnel treated the injured passengers and crew. According to reports, no one was seriously injured. The passengers suffered head injuries, bruises and cuts and some became unconscious.

“She flew up and hit the ceiling”

Turbulence is air movement that occurs unexpectedly and can be caused by cold and warm weather fronts, thunderstorms, jet streams, and also by heavy and slow-flying aircraft. According to the New York Times, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Honolulu said there was a thunderstorm warning at the time of the turbulence — about 30 minutes before touchdown.

According to the Honolulu Civil Beat website, passenger Kaylee Reyes said her mother didn’t get a chance to fasten her seatbelt. “It flew up and hit the ceiling,” Reyes said, adding that the turbulence came out of nowhere.

Time and time again people are injured due to deviations during flights. In 2019, 30 people required treatment at New York’s Kennedy International Airport, four years earlier, 21 passengers were injured onboard an Air Canada flight in air turbulence. (sda/dpa)