At least 50 people have been injured following a "technical event" during a flight from Sydney to Auckland. LATAM Airlines said in a statement the issue caused "a strong movement".
According to reports a number of passengers said they felt the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner plane drop suddenly mid-flight. This meant some people were thrown out of their seats and hit their heads on the ceiling of the aircraft.
The Chilean airline LATAM flight LA800 on which the incident took place landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled on Monday afternoon, according to flight tracker, FlightAware. It was due to continue to Santiago in Chile.
However St John Ambulance said it had treated dozens of patients, according to The Sun. They said: "Our ambulance crews assessed and treated approximately 50 patients, with one patient in a serious condition and the remainder in a moderate to minor condition. So far, 13 patients have been transported to Middlemore Hospital by ambulance."
Earlier the organisation said: "We were notified at 3.58pm and are currently on scene with four ambulances, two operations managers, one Major Incident Support Team vehicle, one Command Unit, and two rapid response vehicles." By 6pm on Monday evening there were still ambulances leaving the airport.
A LATAM spokesperson said: "The plane landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled. As a result of the incident, some passengers and cabin crew were affected.
"They received immediate assistance and were evaluated or treated by medical staff at the airport as needed." LATAM added that it "regrets the inconvenience and injury this situation may have caused its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards".
