‘Severe turbulence’ hits Spain-Argentina flight; 12 injured, aircraft cabin damaged

A dozen passengers flying from Spain to Argentina were injured earlier this week when their flight hit turbulence and allegedly threw them up against the cabin ceiling, reported UK media on Friday.
The incident took place on an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight from Madrid to Buenos Aires on Oct. 18. UK-based media house The Independent reported that the flight encountered severe turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean near Brazil, resulting in injuries to 12 passengers of whom three were examined at a hospital. However, no one was seriously injured, it added quoting the airline.
The airline said the cabin of the plane suffered internal damage “due to the collision of the passengers’ heads with the ceiling.”
Though Aerolíneas Argentinas, in a statement issued in Spanish, said that the seatbelt signs were switched on and announcements were made warning of incoming turbulence, some passengers on the flight said otherwise.
“The passengers who were the most compromised and who were the ones who had to be transferred, did not have their seat belts on at the time of the turbulence,” said the report, quoting the airline company’s statement.

Información Importante. pic.twitter.com/HLmhG6xT0V
— Aerolíneas Argentinas (@Aerolineas_AR) October 19, 2022
However, a passenger named Adrián Torres spoke to the Spanish daily El Pais disputing the airline’s statement.
“We had been flying for about seven hours and we were almost all asleep because at that time in Spain it would be close to three,” he said. Torres said that he noted that the plane was moving a lot and asked his colleagues to put on their seatbelts, but when he looked at the ‘seatbelt on’ light, it was out.
“While I was looking for it, the plane caught the biggest turbulence, I don’t know how many metres but it suddenly went down and we shot towards the ceiling,” he told the daily. He added that while he suffered a minor bruise, one of his colleagues “was paralysed for three minutes and another broke the septum of her nose.”
Torres said that following the incident, several passengers were too afraid to go back to sleep and stayed up for the remaining seven hours until the plane landed at the Minro Parini Airport in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires at 4.30 am local time.
Here’s the full Aerolineas Argentinas statement, translated The Independent:
As a result of severe turbulence on flight AR 1133 from Madrid, which landed at Ezeiza airport at 4.30, 9 passengers had to be treated with various minor injuries. They were immediately released airport medical staff, while another 3 had to be transferred for a more thorough examination.
According to what was reported the crew, the seat belt indicator signs were on and the corresponding announcement had been made. The passengers who were the most compromised and who were the ones who had to be transferred did not have their seat belts on at the time of the turbulence.
The event occurred over the Atlantic Ocean entering the American continent and the plane, an A330 with regration LV-FVH, was carrying 13 crew members and 271 passengers. The evaluation of the aircraft did not show significant damage to its structure.