At least 30 people were injured on Monday after an Air Europa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight hit turbulence over the Atlantic, sending passengers flying out of their seats with one man appearing to have gotten stuck in the overhead bins.
Passengers aboard Flight UX045 from Spain to Uruguay shared harrowing video of the damage and aftermath caused by turbulence, with one customer uploading a video on X showing a man stuck in the overhead luggage compartment.
The man’s feet could be seen poking out of a bin after he was allegedly hurled up there by the turbulence, with a group of people huddling together to pull him down as a crying baby could be heard in the background.
Other footage taken by passengers show ceiling panels torn off by the impact of the turbulence, oxygen masks dandling overhead and at least one destroyed seat.
Air Europa said the flight, carrying 325 passengers and bound for the Uruguayan capital, was hit by turbulence while flying over the Atlantic Ocean and was forced to land in Natal, in north-eastern Brazil.
“The plane has landed normally and the injuries of varying degrees that were recorded are already being treated,” Air Europa said in a statement.
One passenger, who identified himself as Norys, said he was enjoying his flight back home from a European tour when the captain gave a warning about turbulence and urged passengers to remain seated and fasten their seatbelts
“A long time after that, there was a very, very slight turbulence, it was barely felt, and from one moment to the next the plane abruptly fell and we all went up,” Norys told Uruguayan outlet El Observador.
“Those who did not have seatbelts flew and some remained hooked to the roof,” he added.
Another passenger, named Juan, echoed other passengers’ description that the whole incident felt like something out of a “horror movie,” comparing it to a near-death experience.
“The sensation was one of terror, feeling that you are falling and that it does not end,” he told El Observador. “And you are aware that you are falling at an incalculable speed. And you felt that it ended there, that you died.”
Uruguay’s Foreign Ministry said the injured are being treated at the Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital, in Natal, with transportation being readied for them to return to Montevideo.
Air Europa said a new plane will leave Madrid on Monday to pick up any remaining passengers who did not opt to take a bus ride back to Uruguay.
Abhinav Thawait is a globe-trotting correspondent with a passion for international affairs. With a background in international relations, he offers a global perspective on the most pressing issues around the world. Abhinav’s curiosity takes his to the far corners of the earth, where he seeks to share untold stories and diverse viewpoints.
