At least 27 hurt in turbulence on Aeroflot Moscow-Bangkok flight

A still image from video shows passengers lying on floor and debris in plane cabin onboard an Aeroflot Boeing 777 flight from Moscow to Bangkok after it hit turbulence, May 1, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

BANGKOK/MOSCOW - At least 27 people were injured on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok on Monday when their Boeing 777 hit an air pocket, the Russian embassy in Thailand said in a statement.

It said 24 of the injured were Russian nationals and 15 of them were taken to a Bangkok hospital for treatment. The other three injured were from Thailand.

Three Russians have undergone operations lasting several hours, Russian RIA news agency reported, citing a Russian diplomat in Bangkok. The diplomat cited doctors who say their lives were not in danger. Aeroflot also dismissed some media reports about spine injuries.

The Russian airline said in an earlier statement that several passengers had been injured during "severe turbulence" 40 minutes before landing in the Thai capital. It said the crew could not warn passengers of the danger because the turbulence occurred in a clear sky.

"All the injured were sent to a local hospital with injuries of a different kind of severity, mainly fractures and bruises," the embassy said. "The reasons behind the injures was that some of the passengers had not had their seatbelts fastened."

Airports of Thailand Pcl, Thailand's main airport operator, told Reuters the Boeing 777 had landed in Bangkok, but said any other comment should come from the airline.

Aeroflot operates two flights a day from Moscow to Bangkok. Thailand is a top destination for Russian tourists, with many visiting the country's beach resorts.

Reuters