Sudden Turbulence Injures Dozens of Passengers on Aeroflot Flight to Thailand
More than two-dozen people were injured on Monday after a Russian jetliner hit a patch of severe turbulence before landing in Thailand's capital, Bangkok. Aeroflot's flight SU 270 from Moscow to Bangkok hit about 40 minutes of "clear-air turbulence" before landing, the company said in a press statement. "Such turbulence occurs without any clouds, in clear skies with good visibility, and weather radar is unable to alert of its approach" the airline said. Aeroflot says that none of its 313 passengers have life-threatening or serious injuries. Twenty-five people were sent to the hospital initially, and 15 Russian nationals and two Thai citizens remained hospitalized as of later in the day. "The patients that are still under doctors' care have contusions, and several have fractured or broken bones" the Russian airline said in the statement. The Boeing 777 was flown by a pilot who had more than 23,000 flight hours and a co-pilot with more than 10,000 hours in the skies, the airline said.