Passengers on an ALK airline flight underwent a brief moment of terrifying turbulence on June 16 which was captured on video by a passenger, according to multiple reports.
The flight in question took off from an airport in Pristina, the capital city of Kosovo, and was en route to EuroAirport Basel, a French airport situated near the border of Switzerland and Germany when it hit a patch of rough air, according to ABC 13.
The flight was carrying 121 passengers on board, according to Fox News.
The turbulence was so terrifyingly strong that it managed to throw a flight attendant and her plane cart to the ceiling. The items on the cart—which included food and liquids, some scalding hot—were thrown into the air and on surrounding passengers.
According to footage taken by Mirjeta Basha, passengers were screaming as the plane encountered the turbulent air. A massive jolt was responsible for lifting the cart off the plane floor and into the ceiling before the contents feel back down, along with the serving flight attendant.
One passenger was seen praying amid the chaos.
Basha said that she was convinced that the plane was going to crash, according to ABC 13. She said that there were people who were burned by the hot water, and her husband, who the cart was close to, was taken to the hospital along with nine other people upon landing. She was also among the passengers to be taken to hospital seeking medical attention.
According to one of the passengers, the turbulence started around 30 minutes before the plane landed, and lasted five minutes in total, reported 20 Minutes, a German news outlet.
“People started screaming and crying. A flight attendant slammed her trolley on the ceiling. Cups flew around, some were scalded by hot water,” the passenger told 20 minutes, which was later reported in English by Fox News.
According to Fox News, another passenger told 20 Minutes that the seats on the plane were ripped from their anchoring on the plane floor as a result of the turbulence. Ambulances were at EuroAirport Basel waiting for people who needed medical attention, multiple reports said.
Fox News obtained a statement from ALK airlines, which stated that the airline had also provided immediate medical attention to passengers on the turbulence-ridden plane.
The spokeswoman for EuroAirport Basel, Vivienne Gaskell, confirmed with the news outlet that 10 people were taken to various hospitals in areas near Basel, Switzerland with minor injuries. Some other patients reportedly had more serious injuries.
Gaskell told Fox that the incident caused a one-hour delay to other planes leaving EuroAirport Basel.
ALK airlines said in a statement obtained by Fox News that the seatbelt light was illuminated when the turbulence hit.
