Turbulence injures passengers on AA flight over Japan
An American Airlines jet bound for the US was forced into an emergency landing in Japan after encountering severe turbulence, injuring 14 people.
The Dallas Fort Worth-bound flight which departed Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea, hit major turbulence with four passengers and a crew member requiring hospital treatment.
Flight AA280, carrying 240 passengers and 15 crew landed safely at Narita airport near Tokyo after the incident, where passengers were accommodated in hotels overnight.
Passengers said the plane dropped altitude suddenly, violently shaking for 30-40 seconds.
"We were eating and all the food just flew up in the air and pretty much bounced off and fell. There were carts all over the place," a passenger told TV Tokyo after disembarking.
The turbulence was brought on by a strong winter storm lashing the Japanese island of Hokkaido, which resulted in over 100 flight cancelations and disruption to rail travel.
Some areas in the eye of the storm had been placed under evacuation advisories.
Passengers are expected to resume their journey back to Dallas later today.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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