Delta passengers on a flight from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale were so terrified when their plane suddenly dropped nearly 30,000 feet that they began texting family members to tell them they loved them.

Flight 2352 was cruising along, on its way to Florida, when the aircraft dramatically descended from an altitude of 39,000 feet to 10,000 feet in under seven minutes, WSB-TV reports.

Those on board the flight have been speaking about the frantic atmosphere as the jet plunged and they began to fear the worst.

@Delta so this hasn’t happened before but your #2353 flight crew from ATL to FLL (now Tampa) was awesome@keeping people calm. Now I know the bag doesn’t really inflate... pic.twitter.com/B2FfWKAewE — Tiffany O. Sawyer (@OsteenSawyer) September 18, 2019

“Out of nowhere, I felt what felt like a sort of a rapid descent,” Harris DeWoskin told the Atlanta news outlet. “We started dropping in altitude and then the oxygen masks dropped from the top of the plane, chaos sort of ensued amongst the passengers.”

“Initially, it was sort of a panic there wasn’t really any forewarning. The oxygen masks dropped down then one of the flight attendants, I believe, grabbed the intercom and was just repeating over the intercom stating ‘do not panic, do not panic,’ but, obviously, it’s a hectic moment. So, the passengers around me, a lot of people, were kind of hyperventilating breathing really hard,” he said.

Other passengers echoed the comments, while also sharing images of the ordeal on Twitter. One man, identified as JT, said he was so terrified that he messaged family members to tell them he loved them. “Flight 2353 God Bless the Captain and crew,” he said.

@Delta Flight 2353 God Bless the Captain and crew. Had an emergency midair from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale. Oxygen masks deployed and we descended quickly and we're diverted to Tampa. I texted my wife and dad I loved them. Told my mom I love her and hugged my son. @wsvn@cbs12pic.twitter.com/C9QcU9DbYV — J.T. (@BrutusOsceola) September 18, 2019

“Had an emergency midair from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale. Oxygen masks deployed and we descended quickly and we’re diverted to Tampa. I texted my wife and dad I loved them. Told my mom I love her and hugged my son.”

A Delta spokesperson apologized to the passengers and said the aircraft experienced a cabin pressure issue which prompted the pilots to rapidly descend to a safer altitude “out of an abundance of caution.” The aircraft is grounded at Tampa International Airport ahead of being evaluated by maintenance technicians.

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