WELLINGTON, March 11, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Twelve passengers were hospitalised 
Monday after a LATAM flight from Sydney to Auckland experienced a technical 
problem that caused a sudden jolt, the airline and first responders told AFP 
Monday.

At least one person was said to be in a serious condition after flight LA800 
experienced difficulties over the Tasman Sea.

Passengers told local media that the plane quickly lost altitude, flinging 
those without their seatbelts on toward the ceiling.

A passenger told radio network RNZ that "people flew through the air because 
they weren't wearing their seatbelts". 

"Some people got pretty injured. People were really scared as well" the man 
said, his voice shaking.

A spokesperson for the Chile-based airline said "a technical event during the 
flight" had "caused a strong movement". 

"The plane landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled", they added.

It was not immediately clear what caused the incident.

Gerard Campbell of the St John New Zealand ambulance service said medics were 
made aware of the problem as the plane descended into New Zealand's largest 
city.

A phalanx of more than a dozen ambulances and other medical vehicles rushed 
to the scene to treat the wounded.

"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", said Campbell.

"Twelve patients were transported to hospital" he said, after earlier putting 
the number at 13.

LATAM said the plane involved was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

US plane-maker Boeing has suffered a series of safety issues in recent years, 
including fatal Lion Air and Ethiopian Airline crashes on 737 MAX planes.

Boeing is still reeling from a near-catastrophic incident in January, when a 
fuselage panel on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 Alaska Airlines jet blew off mid-flight.

The airline said LATAM "deeply regrets any inconvenience and discomfort this 
situation may have caused".