(CNN) At least 27 passengers were injured when an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok, Thailand, hit severe air turbulence on Monday.

Twenty-four Russians and three Thais were hurt, with some suffering serious fractures and bruising, when the plane unexpectedly hit an "air hole" during its approach to Suvarnabhumi Airport, according to the statement from Russian Embassy in Bangkok.

"Some injured passengers were not wearing seat belts. All victims were taken to a local hospital with various injuries, mostly fractures and bruises. Some require surgery. Fifteen people remain hospitalized," the embassy said.

The Airport Authority of Thailand said in a press release that 30 passengers had been injured during the flight, with 27 individuals transferred to Samitivej Srinakarin hospital in Bangkok, while three chose to seek their own treatment.

It added that the Boeing 777 was traveling with 318 passengers and 14 crew and that it was struck with turbulence as it flew over Myanmar.

Read More</s>Twenty-seven people have been injured, several with suspected spinal damage, after an Aeroflot Boeing 777-300 on which they were travelling from Moscow to Bangkok hit strong turbulence.

The Russian Embassy in Bangkok said in a statement that Flight SU270 hit an air pocket Monday on its approach to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, and that those injured had not been wearing seat belts.

A Russian diplomat who asked to be identified as the embassy duty officer said 15 remained hospitalized, but none had life-threatening injuries. According to a list issued by the embassy, all of the injured were Russians ranging in age from about 1 to 69, except for three Thais.

Three Russians have undergone operations lasting several hours, Russian RIA news agency reported, citing a Russian diplomat in Bangkok. The diplomat cited doctors who say their lives were not in danger. Aeroflot also dismissed some media reports about spine injuries.

The Russian airline said in an earlier statement that several passengers had been injured during “severe turbulence” 40 minutes before landing in the Thai capital. It said the crew could not warn passengers of the danger because the turbulence occurred in a clear sky.

“All the injured were sent to a local hospital with injuries of a different kind of severity, mainly fractures and bruises,” the embassy said. “The reasons behind the injures was that some of the passengers had not had their seatbelts fastened.”

Airports of Thailand Pcl, Thailand’s main airport operator, told Reuters the Boeing 777 had landed in Bangkok, but said any other comment should come from the airline.

Aeroflot operates two flights a day from Moscow to Bangkok. Thailand is a top destination for Russian tourists, with many visiting the country’s beach resorts.</s>BANGKOK: At least 27 people were injured on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok on Monday (May 1), when severe turbulence struck their plane.



Flight SU270 hit an air pocket, the Russian embassy in Thailand said in a statement, adding that 24 of the injured were Russian nationals. The other three injured were from Thailand.

Passenger phone footage broadcast by Rossiya 24 state television channel showed a scene of chaos inside the cabin, with injured passengers on the floor, smears of blood on luggage racks and oxygen masks hanging down.

"We were hurled up into the roof of the plane, it was practically impossible to hold on," a passenger who gave her first name Yevgenia, told Rossiya 24 by phone.

"It felt like the shaking wouldn't stop, that we would just crash," she added.



The Russian airline said in an earlier statement that the Boeing 777 was hit by "severe turbulence" 40 minutes before landing in the Thai capital.

It said the crew was unable to warn passengers of the approaching danger as the turbulence occurred in a clear sky.

"All the injured were sent to a local hospital with injuries of a different kind of severity, mainly fractures and bruises," the embassy said. "The reasons behind the injures was that some of the passengers had not had their seatbelts fastened."

The Aeroflot plane landed at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport at 8.20am on Monday. The embassy said 15 Russians with serious injuries were still at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital.

Aeroflot operates two flights a day from Moscow to Bangkok. Thailand is a top destination for Russian tourists, with many visiting the country's beach resorts.</s>At least 27 passengers were injured when an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok hit severe air turbulence on Monday.

24 Russians and 3 Thais were hurt, with some suffering serious fractures and bruising, when the plane unexpectedly hit an "air hole" during its approach to Suvarnabhumi Airport, according to the statement from Russian Embassy in Bangkok.

"Some injured passengers were not wearing seat belts. All victims were taken to a local hospital with various injuries, mostly fractures and bruises. Some require surgery. Fifteen people remain hospitalized," the embassy said.

The Airport Authority of Thailand said in a press release that 30 passengers had been injured during the flight with 27 individuals transferred to Samitivej Srinakarin hospital in Bangkok, while three chose to seek their own treatment.

It added that the flight was traveling with 318 passengers and 14 crew on board and that it was struck with turbulence as it flew over Myanmar.

Rostik Rusev, who is from Ukraine but lives in Hackensack, New Jersey, was on the flight and told CNN it was so bad it threw passengers out of their seats.

"It lasted for about ten seconds, the plane was being thrown everywhere," Rusev told CNN.

"There was blood on the ceiling, people with broken noses, babies who were hurt, it was horrible. It came out of nowhere it was like driving a car and a tire suddenly bursts.

"The aircraft personnel couldn't have been more professional and courageous. They were heroes in everything they were doing."

Rusev also provided CNN with a photograph showing blood on an overhead compartment, which, he says, was the result of people being thrown out of their seats and hitting the ceiling.

Aeroflot issued a statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the incident, which occurred about 40 minutes before landing, saying that this type of turbulence known as "clear sky turbulence" is difficult to prepare for as "it does not occur in clouds but in clear skies with good visibility."

The flight operator cited this as the reason passengers were not warned to return to their seats before adding that around 750 cases of clear sky turbulence occurs globally each year.

Russian officials were at hospitals in the Thai capital providing translation and counseling assistance.</s>
• An Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok unexpectedly encountered "clear sky turbulence" that injured at least 27 people.
• Passengers said the turbulence threw people out of their seats, resulting in broken bones, injured babies, and "blood everywhere."
• Seventeen people remain hospitalized, but the airline reports that no passengers are in serious condition.



 At least 27 people were injured when an Aeroflot Boeing 777 flight traveling from Moscow to Bangkok unexpectedly hit severe turbulence about 40 minutes before landing.

Passenger Rostik Rusev said that he'd never been so scared in his life.

"[O]ut of nowhere we hit turbulence that was so bad that it was throwing people around like crazy," he captioned a video of the aftermath on Instagram. "Blood everywhere, people with broken bones, noses, open fractures, baby's (sic) with head injuries, I can keep going and going."

According to a statement from Aeroflot on Monday, 15 Russian citizens and two Thai citizens currently remain hospitalized in Bangkok with contusions and fractured and broken bones, while the rest were discharged. Aeroflot also said that none of the passengers are in serious condition or suffered from spinal compression fractures as some earlier stories reported.

The statement described the incident as "clear air turbulence" (also known as "air pockets") that can occur in good weather with clear skies, making it "impossible to foresee" to warn passengers to fasten their seat belts.</s>BANGKOK -- Twenty-seven people have been injured, several with suspected spinal damage, after an Aeroflot Boeing 777-300 on which they were travelling from Moscow to Bangkok hit strong turbulence.

The Russian Embassy in Bangkok said in a statement that Flight SU270 hit an air pocket Monday on its approach to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, and that those injured had not been wearing seat belts.

A Russian diplomat who asked to be identified as the embassy duty officer said 15 remained hospitalized, but none had life-threatening injuries. According to a list issued by the embassy, all of the injured were all Russians ranging in age from about one to 69, except for three Thais.</s>At least 27 passengers were injured when an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok, Thailand, hit severe air turbulence on Monday.

Twenty-four Russians and three Thais were hurt, with some suffering serious fractures and bruising, when the plane unexpectedly hit an “air hole” during its approach to Suvarnabhumi Airport, according to the statement from Russian Embassy in Bangkok.

“Some injured passengers were not wearing seat belts. All victims were taken to a local hospital with various injuries, mostly fractures and bruises. Some require surgery. Fifteen people remain hospitalized,” the embassy said.

The Airport Authority of Thailand said in a press release that 30 passengers had been injured during the flight, with 27 individuals transferred to Samitivej Srinakarin hospital in Bangkok, while three chose to seek their own treatment.

It added that the Boeing 777 was traveling with 318 passengers and 14 crew and that it was struck with turbulence as it flew over Myanmar.

Rostik Rusev, who is from Ukraine but lives in Hackensack, New Jersey, was on the flight and told CNN the turbulence was so bad it threw passengers out of their seats.

“It lasted for about 10 seconds, the plane was being thrown everywhere,” Rusev told CNN.

“There was blood on the ceiling, people with broken noses, babies who were hurt. It was horrible. It came out of nowhere. It was like driving a car and a tire suddenly bursts.

“The aircraft personnel couldn’t have been more professional and courageous. They were heroes in everything they were doing.”

Rusev also provided CNN with a photograph showing blood on an overhead compartment, which, he says, was the result of people being thrown out of their seats and hitting the ceiling.

An “air hole” is an area of low pressure air where there differential causes the plane to drop, according to Richard Quest, CNN’s airline and aviation correspondent. He said it can also be the result of air currents shifting, crossing the jet stream or storms in the area.

Quest said “air holes” are not dangerous to the aircraft — only those who aren’t wearing seat belts when the plane travels through the air pockets.

Another passenger, Margarita Vladimir, told CNN that the journey had been mostly peaceful, but as passengers were visiting the toilet and preparing for landing, the turbulence erupted.

“We saw so many people getting seriously hurt. There were broken legs, arms, bruised faces,” she said.

In a video she provided to CNN, the aftermath could be seen. One passenger had fallen to the floor and was being comforted by a passenger seated across the aisle. Others on the flight looked disorientated. As the footage panned to the galley, a man could be seen propped up against the emergency door with a gash to his head.

Vladimir said that she suffered only scratches and bruises on her arms and shoulder but her child was hit in the head so they were taken to the hospital for assessment. She says they’ve been given the all clear but that there are still people from the flight who remain at the medical facility.

Aeroflot issued a statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the incident, which occurred about 40 minutes before landing, saying that this type of turbulence known as “clear sky turbulence” is difficult to prepare for as “it does not occur in clouds but in clear skies with good visibility.”

The flight operator cited this as the reason passengers were not warned to return to their seats before adding that around 750 cases of clear sky turbulence occurs globally each year.

Russian officials were at hospitals in the Thai capital providing translation and counseling assistance.</s>BANGKOK: At least 27 people were injured on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok on Monday (May 1) when severe turbulence struck their plane, causing some passengers to suffer from fractured bones.



Flight SU270 hit an air pocket, the Russian embassy in Thailand said in a statement, adding that 24 of the injured were Russian nationals. The other three injured were from Thailand.

Passenger phone footage broadcast by Rossiya 24 state television channel showed a scene of chaos inside the cabin, with injured passengers on the floor, smears of blood on luggage racks and oxygen masks hanging down.

"We were hurled up into the roof of the plane, it was practically impossible to hold on," a passenger who gave her first name as Yevgenia told Rossiya 24 by phone.

"It felt like the shaking wouldn't stop, that we would just crash," she added.



The Russian airline said in an earlier statement that the Boeing 777 was hit by "severe turbulence" 40 minutes before landing in the Thai capital.

It said the crew was unable to warn passengers of the approaching danger as the turbulence occurred in a clear sky.

"All the injured were sent to a local hospital with injuries of a different kind of severity, mainly fractures and bruises," the embassy said. "The reasons behind the injures was that some of the passengers had not had their seatbelts fastened."

None of the injuries are life-threatening but some of the injured have had to undergo surgery, according to the head of the Russian embassy's consular department.

The Aeroflot plane landed at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport at 8.20am local time on Monday. Airport officials declined to comment.

Aeroflot operates two flights a day from Moscow to Bangkok. Thailand has become a very popular destination for Russian tourists, with just over a million of them visiting the country last year, mostly to the southern beach resorts.</s>At least 27 people have been hurt as an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok hit a patch of severe turbulence.

No injuries were life-threatening, but several passengers suffered broken bones and three needed surgery, Russian officials said.

A passenger described being “hurled” up to the ceiling, trying to cling on amid shaking which “wouldn’t stop”.

The turbulence occurred in clear skies, which meant the crew were not able to warn passengers, the airline said.

“The reasons behind the injures were that some of the passengers had not had their seatbelts fastened,” Aeroflot said in a statement.

Mobile phone footage of the aftermath of the incident showed injured people lying in the aisles, with packets of food and other items scattered on the floor.

“We were hurled up into the roof of the plane, it was practically impossible to hold on,” a passenger who gave her first name as Yevgenia told Rossiya 24 by phone

“It felt like the shaking wouldn’t stop, that we would just crash,” she added.

CAT – clear air turbulence – is turbulence that occurs in otherwise calm, clear blue skies, without any visual indication such as clouds.

It’s caused when masses of air moving at different speeds meet, and can’t be identified by the naked eye or conventional radar.

Pilots use reports from other aircraft, passed on via air traffic control, to keep track of patches of clear air turbulence.

Why is in-flight turbulence so unpredictable?

The incident took place about 40 minutes before the Boeing 777 was due to land in Bangkok.

Twenty-four of those injured were Russians while the other three were Thai, the Russian embassy in Thailand said.

Fifteen people, including one child, were admitted to hospitals in Bangkok, a health ministry spokesman told the Russian news agency Interfax.

Three people needed surgery, two for multiple leg fractures and one for broken ribs, he said.

The airline said 313 people had been travelling on the flight, SU 270.</s>Several injured as Aeroflot flight hits turbulence before landing in Bangkok

An Aeroflot Airbus A330 plane heading to the Cuban capital Havana is taxied at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport June 27, 2013. — Reuters picBANGKOK, May 1 — Several passengers were injured on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok when their Boeing 777 ran into “severe turbulence” 40 minutes before landing at the Thai capital today, the Russian airline said in a statement.

The airline said the crew was unable to warn passengers of the approaching danger as the turbulence occurred in a clear sky.

“Several passengers were injured,” the statement said.

The Airports of Thailand Pcl , Thailand’s main airport operator, told Reuters that the Boeing 777 had landed in Bangkok, but said any other comment should come from the airline.

Aeroflot operates two flights a day from Moscow to Bangkok.

Thailand is a top destination for Russian tourists, with many visiting the country’s beach destinations. — Reuters
Severe clear-air turbulence on an Aeroflot flight from Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow to Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, subjects 27 passengers to injuries including bone fractures.