Passenger seemingly thrown into overhead compartment during severe turbulence

An Air Europa flight to Montevideo from Madrid diverted to Natal, Brazil, after encountering strong turbulence on Monday.

Air Europa said in a statement on X that only minor injuries were reported as a result of the incident and that all the casualties were being treated.

Social media video shows ceiling panels coming loose during the incident and one passenger seemingly being thrown into an overhead bin.

According to the airline, the passengers were being transferred to Recife, Brazil, to spend the night and will be accommodated by another plane to Montevideo on Tuesday.

Is turbulence getting worse?

Air Europa Flight 45 is just the latest incident of severe turbulence this year. In May, 43 passengers were hospitalized in a Singapore Airlines turbulence episode, according to Reuters, and one passenger who had a pre-existing heart condition died. Just days later, a Qatar Airways flight encountered turbulence as well, resulting in eight hospitalizations.

Questions about turbulence? Here's what else you need to know.

As global temperatures rise, turbulence is becoming more common, and more extreme turbulence is happening more frequently.

Airplanes are designed to withstand much more severe turbulence than passengers are ever likely to encounter in a flight, but that doesn't mean it's not dangerous.

The danger from turbulence comes from the possibility of people or objects being thrown about the cabin. That's why it's important to keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you're seated, even if the seatbelt sign is off. It's the best protection passengers have to avoid injury in unexpected turbulence.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Passenger seemingly thrown into overhead compartment during severe turbulence