On arrival at Auckland Airport the plane was surrounded by emergency vehicles. A spokesperson for the South American company said New Zealand Herald About fifty passengers and crew on board LA800 were injured, most of them with bruises. Twelve or thirteen passengers were taken to hospital in Auckland, including one with serious injuries.
The Boeing 737 was flying from the east coast of Australia to Santiago, the capital of Chile. Auckland, in the north of New Zealand, is a regular stop on this route. LATAM has yet to specify what exactly happened en route.
The NZ Herald quotes a passenger as saying the Dreamliner “suddenly dropped” during the flight. This may indicate turbulence (an air pocket), but the term 'technical problem' is not commonly used for this. According to another passenger, several passengers and cabin attendants flew through the cabin as they were not strapped into their seats, causing numerous injuries.
LATAM canceled Monday's flight to Chile and put uninjured passengers in hotels. A new flight LA1130 is scheduled for Santiago on Tuesday.
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