Thirty-eight people were injured, six of them hospitalized, after a United Airlines flight from Washington, D.C., Nigeria to Washington, D.C.
The nature of the emergency was not entirely clear, but a video reviewed by NBC News shows the Boeing 787-8’s passenger cabin 787-8 after the incident. cabin ceiling.
Nigeria’s Federal Airports Authority said the United flight departed from Lagos at 11:59pm (5:59pm EAT) on Thursday. At 3:22 a.m. Friday (9:22 p.m. Thursday), we returned to Murtala Muhammed International Airport following an emergency “hour” after takeoff.
United Airlines said in a statement on Saturday that Flight 613, with 245 passengers, eight crew members and three pilots, safely returned to Lagos following “technical issues and unexpected aircraft movement.” He said he returned safely.
The airline said six people were hospitalized, including four passengers and two flight attendants with minor injuries. Nigeria’s Airports Authority said in its own statement that six people sustained “serious” injuries and were stabilized at local medical facilities before being taken to the Duchess Hospital in Ikeja.
It said a further 27 passengers and five crew members suffered minor injuries and received first aid before being released “immediately”.
Nigeria’s airport authority told X that its medical team, “led by very senior management staff,” was aware of the situation and staged it ahead of the return of flights.
“The medical team was in direct contact with the pilot before the aircraft landed in Lagos,” he said, adding that the team was “present and prepared” as were firefighters on the ground.
Airport authorities said the plane did not cause major damage. According to travel tracker FlightAware, the plane spent 3 hours and 36 minutes in flight.
A Federal Aviation Authority spokesperson said in an email on Saturday that information about the incident came from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and United Airlines.
United said it is working with authorities in Nigeria and the United States to help find out what happened.
Brian Gullion contributed.
