Dozens injured, passengers slammed into ceiling after plane hits heavy turbulence

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A flight bound for Montevideo from Madrid made an emergency landing on Monday, after extremely strong turbulence over the Atlantic. Thirty passengers were injured, and some with broken bones and severe bruises.

The Boeing 789-9 Dreamliner landed normally in the city of Natal in Brazil, and a plane from Madrid was sent to pick up the passengers and continue the trip to Uruguay.

Fifteen ambulances were waiting by the runway to treat those with injuries. Some passengers were slammed against the ceiling, the overhead compartments and the seats. One person was seen being pulled out of an overhead luggage bin.

“We are sorry for what happened, and the inconvenience caused,” airline Air Europa said. “We hope for a speedy recovery of the passengers.”

This follows a similar incident back in May , where a flight from Singapore Airlines was also hit by “severe turbulence,” leaving 30 injured and one traveler dead. The 73-year-old passenger had some medical problems and died from cardiac arrest.

According to an NBC report , researchers say climate change may be causing more intense turbulence, due to its effect on wind speeds. A 2023 study published in the Journal Geophysics Research Letters found the heavy turbulence increased more then 50% over the North Atlantic Ocean from 1979 to 2020.

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