The plane was en route from Spain to Uruguay but diverted to Brazil.
Authorities said 40 people were injured when an Air Europa plane flying from Spain to Uruguay encountered severe turbulence and was forced to land in Brazil.
The airline said flight UX045 encountered “severe” turbulence early on Monday but landed safely at Natal’s international airport in São Gonçalo do Amarante, which said the plane requested an emergency landing at about 2:32 a.m. local time.
The airport confirmed to ABC News Monday night that 30 people received medical treatment at the airport and 10 were taken to hospital for further evaluation.
Seven people suffered injuries “of varying severity”, and an unknown number suffered minor bruising, Air Europa said in an earlier statement.
“Due to the nature of the turbulence and for safety reasons, the decision was made to divert the flight to Natal International Airport in Brazil,” the airline said in a statement.
The flight had taken off from Madrid-Barajas Airport and was en route to Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo, Uruguay, when the accident occurred, according to the airline, which said Natal was the closest airport to accommodate passengers’ medical needs.
Passenger videos showed damage inside the plane and injured passengers lying face-up in the aisle with neck corsets. One video showed a man hanging from an overhead bin, though it was unclear why he was there.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was carrying 325 passengers at the time.
Air Europa said the passengers were being transported to Recife where a flight from Madrid would pick them up on Monday afternoon to continue their journey to Montevideo.
ABC News’ Aisha El Hammer Castano contributed to this report.