Turbulence: At least 10 people hurt on United flight

Ben Mutzabaugh | USA TODAY

Severe turbulence injured at least nine passengers and one crew member on a United Airlines flight from Panama to Houston on Tuesday.

“United Flight 1031 experienced turbulence while en route from Panama City, Panama, to Houston,” United spokesman Jonathan Guerin said in a statement to USA TODAY’s Today in the Sky blog. “Paramedics met the aircraft to provide medical care and initial reports are that nine customers and one crew member were transported to the hospital for evaluation. Our thoughts and concerns are with those who were injured and our team is reaching out directly to our customers to provide further care and support.”

It was not immediately clear on Wednesday what the status was of those taken to the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration also confirmed the incident.

"United Flight 1031, a Boeing 737, reported encountering severe turbulence in Mexican airspace, about 80 miles (130 km) east of Cancun," FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said in a statement to Reuters.

The flight landed in Houston on Tuesday at about 2:30 p.m. local time, Lunsford added.

The timing and location of the incident mentioned by the FAA meant Flight 1031 would have been flying toward the west of Tropical Storm Cindy, which is expected to make landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast this week. The Associated Press adds that “weather satellite images showed storm clouds in the area in the wake of Tropical Storm Cindy.”

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