Lagos (Agencies): A United Airlines Boeing 787-8 en route from Lagos, Nigeria, to Washington D.C., was forced to return to Lagos late Friday after experiencing an emergency mid-air incident, leaving six people seriously injured.
The sudden and unexpected movement of the aircraft caused chaos in the cabin, with food trays, beverages, and other items scattered across the floor, as seen in a video shared by passengers on social media. The incident left four passengers and two crew members with serious injuries, while 27 passengers and five crew members sustained minor injuries, according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
United Airlines confirmed the plane experienced a “technical issue and an unexpected aircraft movement” and noted that aviation authorities in both Nigeria and the United States have launched an investigation. The injured passengers were hospitalized but have since been discharged.
The flight was carrying 245 passengers and 11 crew members. Following the incident, the airline issued an apology to affected passengers and stated that it was cooperating with authorities to determine the cause.
This incident is the latest in a series of technical issues involving Boeing aircraft in recent months, including emergency landings in Russia by Air India flights due to technical malfunctions.