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Nearly a dozen people were seriously injured when a Hawaii-bound plane was rocked by severe turbulence Sunday about 30 minutes outside of Honolulu, an emergency response agency said.
Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said in a statement that 11 people were taken to hospital in serious condition and nine others were in stable condition. She said a call came in shortly after 11 a.m. about injuries on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix. The respondents treated 36 people and of these, 20 were referred for further medical treatment.
The statement said the injuries included a serious head injury, cuts, bruises and loss of consciousness.
Passenger Kylie Reyes told Hawaii News Now her mom had just sat down when turbulence hit and didn’t have a chance to fasten her seat belt.
“It just flew off and hit the ceiling,” Reyes said.
Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement that 13 passengers and three crew members were taken to area hospitals for further treatment. The airline said the plane was carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew members and landed safely in Honolulu around 10:50 a.m.
A different number of injuries could not be immediately reconciled.
There is a weather warning for thunderstorms that included Oahu and areas that may have included the flight path at the time of the accident, said Thomas Vaughan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
