Man left hanging from overhead locker in 'terrifying' plane turbulence as 30 left injured

Dramatic footage from a Boeing 787 Dreamliner shows the moment severe turbulence caused chaos mid-air, resulting in 30 passengers being injured and leaving blood marks throughout the cabin of the Air Europa flight en route to Uruguay from Spain. The jet encountered extreme turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean, leading to unfastened passengers and items being sent hurtling through the aircraft.

In one startling scene captured on camera, the legs of a passenger who hadn't fastened their seatbelt are seen protruding from an overhead compartment. Air Europa later released a statement: "The plane has landed normally and the injuries of varying degrees that were recorded are already being treated."

Passengers on the weekend flight UX045 from Spain received a warning from the pilot to take their seats and fasten seatbelts moments before the aircraft was caught in the turbulent air. While the disturbance began mildly, it soon intensified as the plane took a dramatic plunge, reports the Mirror..

READ MORE: The beautiful part of Wales that could change its mind for the first time in decades

READ MORE: Holidaymakers from Wales sleep on football pitch as wildfires rip through Kos

Recounting the experience to Spanish reporters, a traveller said: "The sensation was terrifying, feeling like you were falling and that it was never going to end. And you were aware that you were falling at an incalculable speed."

"And you felt like it was going to end there, that you were going to die. Until we started to see on the screen that the plane was starting to rise," said the lawyer who was embarking on a 40-day trip to Europe for work and tourism.

Passengers aboard the flight shared harrowing images showing the aftermath of the severe drop, with parts of the aircraft's cabin torn away from the ceiling, showed the violent jostling of passengers within the plane. One passenger caught up in the turmoil described the scene: "Those who did not have seatbelts flew and some remained hooked to the roof."

The terrifying ordeal lasted only seconds but resulted in numerous passengers sustaining serious injuries. Uruguay's foreign minister confirmed that the aircraft made an urgent landing in Natal following the incident, with the 30 injured individuals being taken swiftly to Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital in the city.

Additional footage from flight UX045 revealed fellow travellers assisting a man who had become trapped in an overhead locker, extricating him by his legs. Other clips show several passengers lying prone with neck braces fitted.

Aviation specialists who have reviewed the publicly available flight data suggest that a sudden deceleration might have been responsible for the injuries sustained. Aviation analyst Jacob Philip commented on X: "It seems the injuries and damages during the turbulence happened aboard Air Europa UX045 Madrid to Uruguay flight was not because of a sudden drop in altitude."

"The FlightRadar24 data shows a sudden drop in speed by 259kmph in 27 sec," though the data does also show a dip in altitude."" Jacob went on to say: "This deceleration can cause unrestrained passengers to move forward with very high speed."