An Air Canada flight en route to Australia was forced to make an emergency landing in Hawaii after dozens of passengers were injured during intense turbulence.
Health officials in Honolulu said 37 people on board suffered injuries in the incident, nine of which are considered serious. Thirty patients were rushed to local hospital, including flight crew, children and elderly passengers.
Those on board described a terrifying scene in which the plane suddenly dropped with only a few seconds of warning, flinging passengers and crew across the cabin. Officials said victims sustained head lacerations and neck, back and head injuries.
The plane was travelling from Vancouver to Sydney when it encountered unexpected turbulence just west of Hawaii on Thursday morning, Air Canada said.
Flight AC033 then made an unscheduled stop at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu at 6:45 a.m. local time, where six ambulances and 50 first responders were on scene.
Passenger Michael Bailey told CTV News that when the turbulence started 鈥渁 lot of people hit the ceiling鈥� and began screaming. He said the captain warned passengers just seconds before the turbulence hit.
鈥淚t must have dropped like, 100 feet or something because everyone went up to the ceiling throughout the plane. It was pretty scary,鈥� he said.
Bailey added that a girl hit the overhead compartment and broke it from the force, and that a flight attendant working in the aisle was injured after a trolley fell on top of them.
Another passenger said it felt like the plane 鈥渨hipped in the air.鈥� Fellow passenger Lachlan Coffee said he felt like the plane was going to crash.
鈥淚t was like a scene from a movie,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was really traumatic.鈥�
Jim Howe, director of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, described the rapid response as the perfect representation of Hawaii鈥檚 鈥渁loha spirit.鈥�
鈥淣o lives lost and we鈥檙e very, very pleased with the outcome,鈥� he said.
He added that most patients have been able to be in touch with family members on their personal phones.
An Air Canada spokesperson told CTV News that they were making arrangements for passengers including hotel accommodations, meals and travel options.
Aviation analyst Phyl Durdey told CTV News Channel that 鈥渢his area is known for turbulence.鈥�
He explained planes are designed to 鈥渢ake a lot of abuse鈥� but he said injuries can come when passengers鈥� seatbelts aren鈥檛 securely fastened.
When the plane hits unexpected turbulence 鈥�(people) hit the overhead bins and that鈥檚 why you see so many people with neck injuries (and) head injuries because those people weren鈥檛 wearing their seatbelts.鈥�
Durdey stressed how 鈥渧itally important鈥� it was for passengers to have their seatbelts on during the entire flight.
Air Canada announced late Thursday that all of the injured passengers had been treated and released by hospitals. The company added that the flight was to resume Friday.
