Passengers: People who “jumped off the roof” of LATAM flight en route to New Zealand

SYDNEY (AP) — A passenger described a frantic ride Tuesday in which people not wearing seat belts were thrown from their seats and some crashed, as authorities investigated what caused a “forceful movement” before a plane flying between Australia and New Zealand made an abrupt landing. With the roof of the plane.

At least 50 people were injured on Monday in what LATAM Airlines described as a “strong movement” of a Chilean flight en route from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled before continuing to Santiago, Chile.

“The plane, without warning, simply fell. “It went down like I've never experienced any kind of turbulence, and people were thrown from their seats, hit the roof of the plane, fell into the aisles,” passenger Brian Jocutt told US News on Tuesday. ABC Television in Australia.

“Some of the ceiling panels were broken as people were thrown and hit the plastic ceiling panels on the pavement. And many were bleeding from the head.

LATAM Airlines said in a statement that an “incident” occurred during the flight that caused “strong movement”. Later in a statement, the company said the plane “experienced severe shaking during the flight, the cause of which is being investigated”.

The airline said it was working with authorities to support the investigation into what happened.

Passengers were treated by paramedics and more than 10 emergency vehicles when the plane landed in Auckland.

Around 50 people were treated at the scene for mostly minor injuries and 13 were taken to hospital, according to a spokesman for the ambulance service.

Of those 13, the majority were quickly evacuated, LATAM said, adding that only one passenger and one crew member required additional care, “but were not life-threatening.”

Some passengers reported that many people were not wearing seat belts when the LA800 made an abrupt descent.

“If you were in your seat, it went straight to the ceiling and bounced off the roof. I was one of the lucky ones who was tied up in that incident,” Jogat told ABC.

He said he woke up suddenly during landing and found the passenger next to him “on the roof of the plane”.

The company said it “regrets the inconvenience and inconvenience this situation has caused” and reiterated its commitment to “security as a non-negotiable value within the framework of its operational standards”.