Eleven passengers onboard a charter flight were injured after the plane was caught in extreme turbulence while on its way to Manchester from Barbados. According to Independent, the incident took place on Sunday and the pilots of the P&O Caribbean Cruise had to divert the flight with 225 passengers to Bermuda. Thirteen crew members on the plane were unharmed, the outlet further said. After the emergency diversion, passengers had to spend the Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and most of Boxing Day in Bermuda.
As per the schedule, Maleth Aero Flight 1975 had taken off from Barbados an hour late and was expected to arrive at Manchester shortly before 6am on December 24.
When it was cruising at 38,000 feet, the Airbus plane experienced severe "clear-air turbulence", said the Independent report.
The pilots then decided to take the plane to the nearest airport, Bermuda's LF Wade International Airport, touching down five hours later on Christmas Eve.
"We are aware of the situation and are diligently working to ensure the well-being of all involved. We are extremely grateful for the quick response of all our emergency services personnel who ensured the safety of the passengers and crew," Bermuda's acting minister of National Security, Owen Darrell, said after the plane's landing.
A woman who was on the plane told Manchester Evening News that the experience was very scary as the plane was "just going to keep dropping".
"We were about two hours into the flight and everything was fine - some people were sitting down, but some were in the toilets and staff were serving drinks. Then all of a sudden the plane literally just dropped," she said.
"I had my belt on very loose, so I was okay but I did feel myself lift off the chair. It felt like you could have been pulled off the seat. I just assumed it would keep on going," added the woman, who has not been named.
She said the incident lasted for five seconds before stopping briefly and the repeating for another five seconds.
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said the passengers were accommodated in a hotel in Bermuda. Of the 11 injured passengers, nine were discharged from hospital within a day.
