30 March 2024 , 00:51
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Seven plane passengers are in the hospital with another 15 injured after severe turbulence forced a flight into an emergency landing.
The United Airlines jet from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, US, was diverted to New York Stewart International Airport about 75 miles north.
The additional 15 people were being treated by paramedics for motion sickness and minor ailments, according to News 12, but nobody was seriously injured, it was reported.
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The weather was clear but incredibly windy on Friday evening when the plane attempted to land at around 6.30pm EDT. The winds rocked the vessel as it flew in the air, causing the severe turbulence.
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There were reportedly around 320 people aboard the flight, and the seven who were hospitalised were taken to St. Luke's Cornwall for observation, News 12 reported.
Some of the symptoms included nausea and chest pains, but nothing serious. Everyone was expected to more or less make a full recovery after the terrifying incident.
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Ambulances and other emergency vehicles sit waiting on the tarmac for injured passengers who experienced severe turbulence on the flightImages taken at the scene show multiple ambulances and emergency vehicles on the tarmac, seemingly the entire fleet, as EMS workers readied themselves for patients.
News 12 obtained a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that reads: "United Airlines Flight 85 landed safely at New York Stewart International Airport around 6:45 p.m. local time on Friday, March 29, after the crew reported a passenger medical emergency. The Boeing 787 departed from Tel Aviv and was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for additional information."
No further information about the incident was immediately available, but the FAA promised to investigate what had occurred and see whether different decisions could have been made by pilots or air traffic controllers or whether the situation was unavoidable.
Newark Liberty International Airport is one of New York City's main air hubs, along with John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, which are located on opposite ends of Queens, one of the city's five boroughs that's located on Long Island.
New York Stewart International Airport is a much smaller hub located in Orange County, New York, which is just above Rockland County just north of the New Jersey border on the western side of the Hudson River.