Air Europa said a plane flying from Madrid to Montevideo, Uruguay, made an emergency landing in Natal, Brazil, after several passengers were injured by “severe turbulence.”
The Spanish company explained in a statement on the “X” platform that “the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft landed normally” in Natal, northeastern Brazil, and that the injured were taken care of.
A diplomatic source in Uruguay told Agence France-Presse that there were “between 25 and 30 wounded,” explaining that this toll was provisional and that some had left the hospital to which they were transferred.
The source added, “Most of them sustained minor injuries and none of their lives are in danger.”
The Uruguayan Foreign Ministry explained that “passengers who needed medical care were transferred to the Monsenhor and Alfredo Gurgel Hospital in Natal.”
The plane landed at 2:42 a.m. local time (05:42 GMT), Zurich Brasil Airport, which operates Natal International Airport
Brazilian authorities did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for more information.
In May 2024, a 73-year-old British man died and several passengers and crew were seriously injured after severe turbulence hit a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER flight.
Scientists say climate change is causing an increase in air turbulence.
According to a 2023 study, the annual duration of turbulence increased by 17 percent between 1979 and 2020, and the incidence of severe turbulence, which is much rarer, increased by more than 50 percent.
