six people seriously injured on flight from Nigeria to DC USA

Multiple people were injured on a United Airlines flight heading from Lagos, Nigeria, to Washington DC last week.

In a statement released on Friday, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said that a Boeing 787-800 belonging to United Airlines was forced to make an emergency return last Friday.

The plane departed from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at 11.59 pm on 23 January made the emergency return and landed safely at 3.22 am on 24 January.

According to United Airlines, the plane made the emergency return due to a “technical issue and an unexpected aircraft movement”, USA Today reports.

On board the flight was 245 passengers, 11 crew members and three pilots. While all passengers and crew were able to disembark safely following the emergency landing, four passengers and two crew members sustained serious injuries, Faan said, adding that 27 passengers and five crew members had minor injuries.

Micheal Achimugu, Nigeria’s director of public affairs and consumer protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), confirmed the incident to Nigeria’s state-run media outlet Radio Nigeria and reassured the public that there had been no fatalities.

Those with minor injuries received first aid and were discharged immediately, according to Faan. Meanwhile, those with serious injuries were stabilized and transferred to the Duchess Hospital in Ikeja, the capital city of Lagos state.

Videos posted on social media showed food trays scattered across the aisle as passengers panicked in their seats.