Shocking pictures show a plane cabin left in disarray with food and trays littering the floor after it was hit by severe turbulence leaving passengers bruised with nosebleeds.
Fifteen passengers were injured when Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR1303 from Miami to Buenos Aires, with 192 people on board, experienced the terrifying conditions as it flew over western Brazil.
Shocking pictures show the cabin of an Aerolineas Argentinas plane in disarray after it hit severe turbulence. Pictured left are passengers looking down at meal trays and food littered across the floor. Pictured right is a member of the cabin crew attempting to clear up the mess
In one picture, meal trays and food can be seen strewn across the aisle.
A video shows another passenger holding a bloody tissue after apparently suffering from a nosebleed.
While another, taken in the aftermath of the turbulence, shows a flight attendant attempting to pick up the discarded trays.
Dramatic images also show the galley, where oxygen masks can be seen hanging from the ceiling and toppled trolleys with food spilling out of them.
One passenger shared a video of a bloody napkin after suffering a nose bleed on the flight
Meanwhile, a curtain separating the galley from the cabin is pictured hanging from the ceiling.
After the severe turbulence, the flight then continued on to Ezeiza International Airport in the Argentine capital, where eight of the injured passengers were taken to a hospital.
In a statement, Aerolineas Argentinas confirmed the incident saying it happened in the ‘cruise’ phase of the flight.
The airline added that some passengers suffered bruises and cabin crew did their best to assist customers before landing after the bumpy air subsided.
Pictures from the flight show the galley in the aftermath of the turbulence. Food trolleys toppled over, leaving food all over the floor
A curtain pole was ripped from the ceiling during the turbulence, which left 15 people injured
It explained: ‘Once the area of turbulence was crossed, the crew in charge of the flight was dedicated to, injured passengers.’
Previously, a UK-based pilot told MailOnline Travel how there are two types of turbulence with people most unnerved by clear air turbulence.
The pilot said: ‘The sort of turbulence that people often get anxious about is clear air turbulence, which is often what happens at high altitude. And that’s associated with the intercontinental jet streams that circle the globe.
‘And where these jet streams collide, obviously is determined by weather patterns. And when they collide it creates ripples in the air. And that’s what clear air turbulence is.
‘Because we have a lot of people now who fly an awful lot, sometimes they’re a bit casual about whether they should return to their seats and put their seatbelts on, and people think it’s a bit of a drag, but there will be that one time in a hundred when it suddenly becomes really important to be in your seat.’
In a statement Aerolineas Argentinas said the turbulence happened during a ‘cruise’ phase of the flight. Pictured is one of the airline’s Airbus A330s
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