 "As many as 50 passengers required medical attention after they sustained minor injuries. AFP")
At least 50 people were injured after a New Zealand-bound flight suffered “technical problems” causing “strong movements” as it flew from Sydney to Auckland.
Emergency services were rushed to Auckland International Airport on Monday afternoon after LATAM Airlines flight LA800 from Sydney requested medical support for passengers and crew on board.
As many as 50 passengers required medical attention after they sustained minor injuries. One of the passengers is reportedly in serious condition while the others are in moderate to minor condition.
Hato Hone St John ambulance treated roughly 50 people at the airport, a spokesperson told Reuters. One patient was in a serious condition, and the remainder had suffered mild to moderate injuries, they added.
‘People flew around’
A passenger on board told CNN-affiliated RNZ said that the flight underwent a “mid-air drop”
“People flew through the cabin. People got pretty injured,” the passenger added.
Many passengers were apparently not wearing seatbelts when the airplane suffered a sudden drop.
Another passenger, named Valentina, said that the plane “had stopped,” adding that “people were flying around.”
“Blood was on the ceiling, people [flew] and broke the ceiling of the plane,” she said.