Eleven people were seriously injured in turbulence on a Hawaiian Airlines flight.
The flight, carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew, had left the US city of Phoenix and was just 30 minutes from Honolulu when it was hit by severe turbulence.
The plane – an Airbus A330 – landed safely and 36 people were treated for injuries, including a serious head injury, bruising, lacerations and loss of consciousness, according to the city’s emergency medical services. ‘Honolulu.
Twenty of the injured have been taken to hospital – 11 are in serious condition and nine others are described as stable.
Sixteen people were treated at the airport.
The youngest patient was only 14 months old.
Passenger Kaylee Reyes told Hawaii News Now that her mother had just returned to her seat when the turbulence hit.
She didn’t get a chance to buckle her seat belt before she “flew and hit the ceiling”, Ms Reyes said.
Hawaiian Airlines said 13 passengers and three crew members were taken to hospital, but it is not yet clear why their numbers differed from those given by emergency services.
“We support all affected passengers and employees and continue to monitor the situation,” the airline added.
According to the US National Weather Service, a strong cold front was moving through Hawaii, bringing damaging winds, potentially severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding.
NWS meteorologist Thomas Vaughan said there was a weather advisory for thunderstorms that included Oahu and areas that would have included the flight path at the time of the incident.
