Eleven people were seriously injured on a flight to Hawaii that was rocked by severe turbulence on Sunday, about 30 minutes from Honolulu.
Eleven people were hospitalized in serious condition and nine more are in stable condition, the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said in a statement.
The same source said that shortly after 11 a.m. local time, he received an injury warning on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix. Rescuers helped 36 people.
Injuries included severe head injuries, lacerations, bruises, and loss of consciousness.
Passenger Kaylee Reyes told Hawaii News Now that her mother had just sat down when the turbulence hit and didn’t have time to fasten her seat belt.
“He flew over and hit the ceiling,” Reyes said.
Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement that the plane, carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew members, landed safely in Honolulu around 10:50 a.m.
Thomas Vaughan, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Honolulu, said there was a weather warning for storms that included Oahu and areas that would include the flight path at the time of the incident.
