Three Dozen People Injured in Severe Turbulence on Hawaii Airlines Flight
Severe turbulence injured three dozen people aboard a Hawaii Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu on Sunday.
The plane, holding 278 passengers and 10 crew members, hit a patch of severe turbulence that caused several passengers to fly out of their seats. One woman “flew up and hit the ceiling” before she had a chance to buckle in, a relative said.
The airline had not experienced “an incident of this nature in recent history,” Hawaii Airlines chief operating officer Jon Snook said at a news conference.
Of 36 people receiving treatment, 20 were hospitalized, 11 of them in serious condition, Honolulu Emergency Medical Services director Jim Ireland said. Three of them were flight attendants. A 14-month-old child was among those treated for injuries that included serious head wounds, cuts, bruises, nausea, and loss of consciousness, reported Hawaii News Now.
Passengers said the sudden altitude drop came out of nowhere.
“My life flashed before my eyes,” passenger Jazmin Bitanga said at the news conference, according to Hawaii News Now.
Snook expressed relief that it had not been worse.
“We are also very happy and we feel fortunate that there were not any deaths or other critical injuries,” Snook said. “And we’re also very hopeful that all will recover and make a full recovery.”
With News Wire Services
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