Hawaii: At least 11 people were seriously injured when a Honolulu-bound Hawaiian Airlines flight hit turbulence about 30 minutes before landing, Hawaii News Now reported.
A total of 36 passengers, including a 14-month-old and three crew members, were sent to the hospital with 11 of them seriously injured, Shayne Enright, a spokeswoman for the services said.
Paramedics treat patients with multiple serious injuries
Paramedics and emergency medical technicians treated patients for a long list of injuries, including serious head injuries, cuts, bruises, nausea, and loss of consciousness.
The Hawaiian Airlines flight, which was carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew members, 'landed safely' in Honolulu at 00:50 a.m, according to the airline, according to Hawaii News Now.
Jon Snook, Hawaiian Air executive vice president, and the chief operating officer told reporters the 'fasten seatbelt' was on at the time of the incident. He added that three flight attendants were among those injured.
"Sometimes, these air pockets occur with no warning. It's rare to have that level of extreme turbulence. It was a very extreme case of mid-air turbulence," Snook said.
Airlines' statement
"We're very thankful the extent of the injuries was not critical. It could have been worse." Informing the public about the incident, Hawaiian Airlines tweeted, "HA35 from PHX to HNL encountered severe turbulence & landed safely in HNL at 10:50 a.m. today. Medical care was provided to several guests and crewmembers at the airport for minor injuries while some were swiftly transported to local hospitals for further care." "We are supporting all affected passengers & employees and are continuing to monitor the situation," the airlines added.
At a news conference on Sunday, the chief operating officer for Hawaiian Airlines, Jon Snook, said that the seatbelt sign was on when flight HA35 experienced turbulence about 30 minutes outside of Honolulu, as per Hawaii News Now report.
A 'mass casualty emergency' was triggered, and dozens of firefighters, paramedics, and the state Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Team met the aircraft at Gate 10A.
Of those injured, 20 people were taken to emergency rooms.
Eleven patients seriously injured
Eleven were in serious condition and nine were in stable condition, Honolulu EMS Director Dr Jim Ireland said. Eight ambulances responded to take people to hospitals while a city bus was used to transport others, reported Hawaii News Now.
"Although initially, we thought there were some patients with critical injuries, after further assessment it turns out they weren't that severely injured, which was great," Ireland said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of them and their families." Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that about 58 people in the US are injured each year by turbulence while not wearing their seatbelts, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. From 1980 to 2008, the last year in which the administration posted data on its site, U.S. air carriers had 234 turbulence accidents that resulted in 298 serious injuries and three deaths.
Kaylee Reyes, a passenger on flight HA35, told Hawaii News Now that the turbulence had come out of nowhere, causing her mother, who had her seatbelt unbuckled, to be tossed up and hit the ceiling of the aircraft cabin.
Past incidents of turbulence
In recent years, other passengers have dealt with similarly frightening turbulence that resulted in injuries onboard. In 2019, 30 people were treated for injuries at Kennedy International Airport in New York when a flight hit severe turbulence. In 2015, 21 passengers aboard an Air Canada flight were injured when sudden and intense turbulence threw passengers out of their seats, according to The New York Times.
