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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Josh Luckhurst

'Passengers hit plane ceiling' as Hawaii jet rocked by severe turbulence in flight horror

Passengers were reportedly thrown into the air as severe turbulence rocked a flight to Hawaii.

At least 36 people have been injured, including 11 people with serious injuries, after the flight from Phoenix to Hawaii on Sunday morning.

A 14-month old baby is among the casualties. It's unclear how serious the child's injuries are.

The Hawaiian Airlines flight is reported to have suffered two "intense" drops of altitude at around 30 minutes before landing safely at the state's capital of Honolulu.

Emergency services were on the scene when the jet, which had 278 passengers and 10 crew members on board, landed at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Passengers and crew have been left with serious head injuries and cuts while others lost consciousness.

The Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix suffered severe turbulence around 30 minutes before landing (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Hawaii Airlines said in a statement: "HA35 from PHX to HNL encountered severe turbulence and landed safely in HNL at 10:50 a.m. today.

"Medical care was provided to several guests and crew members at the airport for minor injuries while some were swiftly transported to local hospitals for further care.

"We are supporting all affected passengers and employees and are continuing to monitor the situation."

The force of the turbulence reportedly saw people who had not fastened their seat belt hit the ceiling of the aircraft.

Three crew members were among the 36 people injured during the flight (Hawaii News Now)

Passenger Jazmin Bitanga told Hawaii News Now: "I turned around and there was a couple of people bleeding and just bracing themselves. Just all around me there were people crying."

Bitanga, a college student who was flying home to Hawaii for the festive period, also said the turbulence was so strong that her boyfriend's metal water bottle cracked the ceiling above them.

According to the National Weather Service, the severe turbulence occurred at around 36,000 feet - believed to be around 30 minutes before landing at Honolulu International Airport.

NWS meteorologist Genki Kino said: "We believe the flight may have gone through a thunderstorm, which may have caused the severe turbulence. During that time, there were scattered thunderstorms everywhere."

The force from the turbulence caused the ceiling to crack after a metal water bottle struck it (Instagram)

Jon Snook, Hawaiian Air CEO and executive vice president later told reporters that the 'fasten seatbelt' was on at the time of the incident and three crew members were among those injured.

He said: "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.

"We’re very thankful the extent of the injuries was not critical. It could have been worse."

Snook added that an investigation surrounding the incident will be conducted, with the Federal Aviation Administration also investigating.

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