Image copyright RTÉ Image caption The Boeing 767-300 diverted to Shannon Airport in County Clare after the transatlantic turbulence

Twelve people, including three children, have been injured on a transatlantic flight after it encountered "severe and unexpected turbulence".

The incident prompted the United Airlines flight to make an emergency landing in the Republic of Ireland.

Ten passengers and two crew members were taken to hospital from Shannon Airport shortly before 06:00 BST.

All have now been discharged with the exception of one flight attendant.

The United Airlines flight was travelling from Houston, Texas, to London Heathrow when it diverted to the airport in County Clare.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Passenger Gregory Giagnocavo explains what severe turbulence feels like

One of the passengers on the plane, John Dunton-Downer from London, said it felt like they were going to crash.

'It felt like the plane was going down'

"We reached the mid-Atlantic when, suddenly, there was a sensation of the plane slamming into mid-air. It felt like it was made of paper and hitting a solid object," he said.

"People, including babies, hit the ceiling and there was a lot of screaming. It felt like the plane was going down.

"We were told to get out of our seats and sit on the floor.

"The captain said that we had hit turbulence due to unforeseen weather circumstances."

After the plane landed at Shannon Airport, the injured were taken to University Hospital Limerick, with cuts, bruises and minor head injuries.

"As of 10:30, one patient was still being assessed and the remaining 11 were discharged," said the hospital.

"Hospital staff are working with the airline to transport the passengers back to Shannon Airport to continue their onward journey to London."

What causes plane turbulence in the skies?

According to to the Federal Aviation Administration, turbulence can be caused by:

air movement not normally seen

atmospheric pressure

jet streams

air around mountains

cold or warm weather fronts

thunderstorms

In-air turbulence is the leading cause of injury to people on flights, according to the FAA, and on average 58 people in the US are injured during turbulent flights when not wearing seatbelts every year.

Most accidents involving turbulence happen at 30,000 ft (9144m) or above.

The Boeing 767-300 jet had 207 passengers and 13 crew members on board, and had been due to arrive at Heathrow at 06:55 BST.

"The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland where it was met by medical personnel," said the airline.

"United Airlines is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA-880.

"Customers will be departing Shannon to London Heathrow shortly on an alternative aircraft," it added.</s>LONDON (AP) — A United Airlines flight bound for London made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport in Ireland on Wednesday after severe turbulence that left 12 passengers needing hospital treatment, officials said.

All but one of the injured had been discharged from University Hospital Limerick after receiving treatment for minor injuries, officials said. One patient was still being assessed.

United Airlines Flight 880 originated in Houston and was supposed to land at London's Heathrow Airport.

United said that "severe and unexpected turbulence" caused the diversion of the Boeing 767-300 plane, which was carrying 207 passengers, three cockpit crew members and 10 flight attendants.

Shannon Airport officials initially said 16 people needed hospital care, but later indicated only 12 had been treated after the incident. Others received treatment for lesser injuries at the airport.

The patients were treated for soft tissue injuries, cuts and minor head injuries, according to a hospital statement. United Airlines said one of its flight attendants was still being treated at the hospital.

The airline said 10 passengers and two flight attendants needed hospital care.</s>Sixteen people were hospitalised with injuries after a United Airlines flight hit severe, unexpected turbulence.

Flight UA880, carrying 207 passengers, 10 flight attendants and three cockpit crew, was en route from Houston, Texas, to Heathrow, London.

It made an emergency landing in the Republic of Ireland about 5.55am on Wednesday (local time), and 16 people were taken to hospital in Limerick, ITV reported.

The plane hit "severe and unexpected turbulence" during the flight, an airline spokesperson said.

"United Airlines is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA-880 which experienced severe and unexpected turbulence during a flight from Houston to London Heathrow today.

"We wish these passengers and crew a quick recovery from their injuries."

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 ​* Airline gave wrong flight plan to Auckland traffic control</s>SIXTEEN people were injured from ‘unexpected turbulence’ forcing a transatlantic flight they were on to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport.



Fourteen passengers and two crew members were taken to a local hospital upon arrival at the airport.

The United Airlines flight UA-880 touched down at the airport just before 6am this morning.

The flight was en route from Houston, Texas to London Heathrow.

A statement from the airline said:

“The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland where it was met by medical personnel,

“United Airlines is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA-880 which experienced severe and unexpected turbulence during a flight from Houston to London Heathrow today,”

The Boeing 767-300 jet had 207 passengers and crew of 13 on board.</s>Fourteen passengers and two flight crew have been treated in hospital in Ireland after a transatlantic flight was forced to make an emergency landing.

Aviation officials said the United Airlines flight from Houston, Texas in the US to London Heathrow had to be diverted to Shannon Airport after hitting severe turbulence. The plane landed safely at 5.55am and ambulance crews were on the runway to meet the flight.

The injured people were taken to hospital in Limerick.</s>United Airlines Flight 880 landed unscheduled at western Ireland's Shannon Airport shortly before 6 a.m. local time so that people could receive medical treatment after "severe and unexpected turbulence," the airline said.

The shaking began overnight about halfway over the Atlantic while many passengers were asleep, followed by "four very, very severe drops in altitude," passenger Gregory Giagnocavo told CNN after landing in Ireland.

"It was the most frightening and disturbing flight I've been on in 30 years," Giagnocavo said.

Three children among the injured

The Boeing 767-300 was carrying 207 passengers and 13 crew members. After it landed, 10 passengers and two flight attendants were taken to a hospital, United said. Avoiding air turbulence may soon get easier Three children were among them, University Hospital Limerick said. The 12 were treated primarily for soft tissue injuries, minor head injuries and lacerations, the hospital said. By late Wednesday morning, only a flight attendant remained in the hospital, according to the airline. The plane resumed its flight to Heathrow at 12:11 p.m. (7:11 a.m. ET). Giagnocavo said the scene on the plane was "pure chaos" before the emergency landing. "(A) flight attendant was cut on the side of her head, and blood was running down her arm," he said. "Babies crying -- and quite a few people very shook up. Loose things seem to be everywhere. "Fortunately it occurred when most people were sleeping, so most people were in their seats with seat belts on." United Airlines "is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA880," airline spokeswoman Erin Benson said.</s>14 passengers and two cabin crew have been injured after a UK-bound transatlantic flight was hit with severe and violent turbulence.

The United Airlines flight from Houston to Heathrow was forced to land at Shannon Airport this morning.

It landed in Ireland at around 6am this morning and 16 were taken to University Hospital in Limerick.

United Airlines said in a statement: 'United Airlines is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA-880 which experienced severe and unexpected turbulence during a flight from Houston to London Heathrow today.

'The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland where it was met by medical personnel.

'14 customers and two flight attendants have been taken to a local hospital.

'We wish these passengers and crew a quick recovery from their injuries'.</s>DUBLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Fourteen passengers and two crew members were injured and taken to hospital on Wednesday after a United Airlines flight was forced to divert to Ireland's Shannon Airport due to a medical situation, the airport said.

Ambulances were at the scene when the flight that was en route from Houston to London Heathrow landed at 0455 GMT and the injured people were treated at the airport before being transferred to hospital, Shannon Airport said in a statement. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Toby Chopra)</s>United Airlines flight diverts to Ireland after 16 hurt in turbulence

DUBLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Fourteen passengers and two crew members were injured on Wednesday when a United Airlines flight ran into severe turbulence and had to divert to Ireland's Shannon Airport, the airport said.

Ambulances were at the scene when the Boeing aircraft that was en route from Houston to London Heathrow landed at 0455 GMT. Ten of the passengers and the two crew members were taken to a local hospital, a United Airlines spokesman said.

The casualties, three of whom were children, had soft tissue injuries, minor head injuries and lacerations, University Hospital Limerick said in a statement. All but one person had been discharged by 0930 GMT.

The 207 passengers on the flight would continue their journey to London later on Wednesday on an alternative aircraft, United Airlines said. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Richard Balmforth)</s>Passengers hurt as severe turbulence forces US-London flight to land at Shannon

Up to 16 people were treated by medics in Ireland after a transatlantic flight hit unexpected and severe turbulence hundreds of miles from shore.

Aviation officials said the United Airlines flight from Houston, Texas, to London Heathrow had to be diverted to Shannon Airport after the incident at around 3am.

The US airline said it was providing care and support to those on board.

It said 10 customers and two flight attendants were taken to University Hospital Limerick and a ll were discharged except for one flight attendant who received further treatment.

"United Airlines is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA880 which experienced severe and unexpected turbulence during a flight from Houston to London Heathrow," a spokesman said.

Passengers took to social media to describe the incident with one calling the scenes pure chaos and another saying she thought she might die.

It is understood other passengers were assessed by paramedics and ambulance crews which met the plane on the runway after it landed at 5.55am.

The plane was in the air for two and a half hours after the incident occurred over the Atlantic and the alarm was raised with Irish air traffic control staff at 3.20am.

There were 207 passengers on the Boeing 767-300 and 13 crew including three pilots in the cockpit.

Most of them remained at Shannon Airport until another plane was arranged to fly them on the final stretch of the journey to Heathrow just after midday.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said the incident would be investigated.

It said the flight travelled through "unexpected turbulence" which led to passengers and crew being injured before the pilot diverted the plane to Ireland.

"Shannon air traffic control facilitated the flight diversion and the aircraft landed safely," a spokesman for the IAA said.

Three of the injured were children, a hospital spokeswoman said.

University Hospital Limerick said passengers and crew treated in its accident and emergency ward suffered soft tissue injuries, lacerations and minor head injuries.

The alarm was raised in the hospital at 5.30am that a flight was being diverted to Shannon with up to 23 injured people on board.

Management ordered the clinical decision and paediatric section of the A&E unit to be cleared in anticipation of patients being brought in by ambulance.

Eleven of the injured patients were discharged within four-and-a-half hours of the flight landing.
United Airlines Flight 880 makes an emergency landing at Shannon Airport in the Republic of Ireland due to "severe and unexpected turbulence". At least 12 people are hospitalized.