20 hurt as turbulence hits Emirates flight

According an official release from Majid Al Mualla,Emirates senior vice-president (commercial operations West Asia and India),the flight EK 530 encountered a short period of heavy turbulence and was suddenly pulled down by 200 feet.

“The Boeing 777-200 landed safely in Kochi and the captain requested medical support. All affected passengers were treated and have now been released. Emirates gives the highest importance on the safety of our passengers and staff,” the release said.

Air safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered an inquiry into the incident and an inspection of the aircraft.

The airline said passengers were instructed to fasten their seatbelts prior to the turbulence. But the injured passengers said they did not get any such warning and were caught off guard.

According to a passenger,Shiby M Thambi,“All of a sudden,we felt the flight going down,severely jerking and tilting sideways. As the seatbelts were not fastened,most of the passengers were thrown out of their seats. Due to the impact,many banged their heads on the ceiling. Many children slipped from the lap of their parents,and some of them fell into the aisle. The ceiling came of in parts due to the impact,” Thambi said. “Everything was over within a minute. No one had any idea what was happening.”

“There was no suggestion to fasten the seatbelt. Soon after the flight regained normalcy,the pilot apologised for the inconvenience. He told us the flight got into an air pocket due to bad weather.”

Anu Anna Alex,from Kottayam,said,“I felt the flight being pulled down. One passenger got thrown three rows away from his position. Some suffered head injuries.”

Both Thambi and Anu said crew acted promptly and took care of those injured. But another passenger,Elsy Antony,who cut her eyebrow,said emergency medical care was found lacking. “A broken piece of ceiling pierced my eyebrow. All that the crew did was to supply some ice blocks and towels. Even that aid came very late.”

Former head with the Dept of Atmospheric Science at Cochin University of Science and Technology,Prof C K Rajan,said the phenomenon that landed the flight in trouble could be clear air turbulence. It is similar to the whirlpool in a water body or low pressure in the sea. “If caught in a strong air turbulence,a plane can lose its control,” he said.

The flight’s return journey has been cancelled. “The aircraft has been grounded for an extensive air worthiness and air safety check. We expect the report to be submitted in a week’s time by the regulator pending which necessary action would be taken,” said a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official. The grounded aircraft will leave only after it receives certification from the DGCA,added the ministry spokesperson.

With inputs from ENS/Delhi