30 Passengers Reported Injured as ‘Strong Turbulence’ Forces Passenger Jet to Land in Brazil

“We thought we were going to die,” a passenger told Reuters about the Air Europa flight from Spain to Uruguay

30 people have reportedly been left injured after strong turbulence caused a passenger flight to make an emergency landing in Brazil.

Spanish airline Air Europa announced in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, July 1 that the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner had been traveling from Madrid to Uruguay when the incident occurred.

“Our flight UX045 bound for Montevideo has been diverted to Natal airport (Brazil) due to strong turbulence,” the airline wrote on X in a translation from Spanish. “The plane has landed normally and the minor injuries that were reported are already being treated.”

According to Reuters, around 30 passengers were injured on the flight. “There are passengers with fractures and injuries to their arms, faces, and legs,” a passenger known only as Stevan told the outlet. “It was a pretty horrible feeling. We thought we were going to die there.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: 11 Passengers Treated in Hospital Following ‘Severe Turbulence’ on Delta Flight to Atlanta

“From one moment to the next, the plane destabilized and went into a dive,” fellow passenger Maximiliano added to Reuters. “The people who didn’t have seat belts went up in the air and hit the ceiling, and they got hurt — those who had seat belts on, not so much.”

The Guardian reported that the injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Natal. Air Europa added in a release sent to PEOPLE that six passengers remained hospitalised in the city on Tuesday and “are being attended by Air Europa ground staff from Brazil.”

On Tuesday morning a backup plane sent by Air Europa also transferred 303 passengers to Montevideo, Uruguay, the release added.

Related: 1 Dead and Several Injured After Flight from London to Singapore Hit by ‘Severe Turbulence’

“The company, which did everything possible to attend to its customers at all times despite not having a base in the area, is prioritising attending to those affected, for whom it wishes a speedy recovery,” continued the release.

“Air Europa transferred the passengers by bus to the city of Recife, where the characteristics of its airport facilitate the operation of the long-haul fleet. Once there, they boarded a new plane from Madrid sent especially for this trip, and flew to Montevideo in the early hours of the morning.”

“Air Europa deeply regrets what happened, as well as the inconvenience caused to its customers,” the release stated. “The airline hopes for a quick recovery of the affected passengers and is at the disposal of all its clients to assist them in any way that may be necessary. The airline is also grateful for the assistance provided at all times by the authorities and emergency services in Natal.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.