Lufthansa flight: Five passengers and six crew members injured after plane hits severe turbulence over the Atlantic

Passengers were left injured on the flight from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt on Monday (11 November). A Lufthansa spokesperson told Reuters in an email, confirming a report by the DPA news agency: “Unfortunately, five passengers and six crew members suffered mostly minor injuries.

“The safety of the flight was not in jeopardy at any time”. The injured received medical treatment immediately after the aircraft landed safely at its planned destination on Tuesday (12 November) at 10:53 am (0953 GMT), according to the airline.

The Boeing 747-8 had been carrying 329 passengers and 19 crew members. The turbulence was brief and occurred in an intertropical convergence zone, the company said.

According to data from FlightRadar24, the plane climbed to 33,000ft before being battered by turbulence over the Atlantic, after taking off from Buenos Aires' Ezeiza International Airport. AirLive.net, an industry publication, reported that as the plane climbed to 35,000ft to try and get around the pocket of bad weather, and five passengers who were not wearing a seatbelt were injured. 

FlightRadar24 data revealed that the plane's speed dropped from 511 knots (588mph) to just 180 knots (280mph) in less than a minute, before climbing back up to a cruising speed of 517 knots. After the plane landed at Frankfurt Airport, the injured crew and passengers were taken to hospital.

A Lufthansa spokesperson told Sky News: "The safety of the flight was never compromised. Lufthansa regrets any inconvenience caused to the passengers. The safety and well-being of passengers and crew members always remains Lufthansa's top priority. Of course, seat belts must be worn on all Lufthansa flights as a matter of principle - that means, passengers are obliged to fasten their seat belts as soon as they have taken their seats."