ANKARA

An Air Europa flight from Madrid, Spain to Montevideo, Uruguay was forced to make an emergency landing in Brazil as severe turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean injured 30 passengers, who required immediate medical attention, the airline said on Tuesday.

“Our flight UX045 bound for Montevideo has been diverted to Natal airport (northeastern Brazil) due to strong turbulence,” Air Europa said on X.

“The plane has landed normally and the minor injuries that were reported are already being treated,” the statement added.

Upon landing, the aircraft was met by multiple ambulances.

Airport authorities confirmed that several passengers required medical assistance and were promptly taken to a nearby hospital.

A local medical team reported attending to at least 30 passengers of various nationalities, with 10 of them being hospitalized for further treatment.

Reports indicate that the turbulence caused passengers to hit their heads, resulting in injuries such as cranial fractures and facial lacerations.

Images from inside the aircraft showed wires hanging from the overhead luggage compartments, showing the severity of the incident.

This incident follows a similar event involving a Singapore Airlines flight, which encountered severe turbulence over Myanmar the same day, resulting in numerous injuries and the death of a British passenger.

Severe turbulence remains a rare occurrence, but recent studies suggest that climate change may be increasing the frequency and intensity of such events.