Terror flight between Santiago and Asunción: hail destroys a Latam plane with 48 passengers

The Latam plane after its forced landing at the Silvio Pettirossi airport, in Asunción (Paraguay), on October 26, 2022. RR.SS.

The 48 passengers of Latam Airlines flight 1325, who boarded this Wednesday in Santiago de Chile bound for Asunción (Paraguay), have recounted scenes of panic and horror due to the extreme conditions they had to face during the trip, which they have shown to through videos on social networks and their own stories.

The plane took off from the Chilean capital and, "due to the bad weather conditions over the Asunción airport", according to the company, "had to land at the Foz do Iguazú international airport, in Brazil", at 6:43 p.m. local time, where he spent about two hours with the passengers inside without being able to disembark.

According to the airline, weather conditions in the Paraguayan capital improved, so the aircraft resumed the flight, which under normal conditions takes about half an hour.

Travelers have recounted the anguish experienced in the middle of the flight, when hail began to hit the aircraft.

"It was the most terrifying thing in my life," the former Paraguayan model Pabla Tholem told ABC television in her country, quoted by the Chilean media outlet Emol.

“While everyone was panicking, my seatbelt came undone and I screamed for someone to help me.

I couldn't do it alone, because I had my daughter in my arms, holding her tight, "added Tholem, who later faced an attack of crying and panic due to the anguish suffered this Wednesday.

All that was felt inside the plane was "blow after blow", according to her account.

“The sound was loud, my daughter was starting to scream, she unbuckled my belt and was screaming for someone to help me put it on.

A man came to help me and my baby clung to him.

I started vomiting."

After an endless landing, “the stewardesses started shouting in English, then it started to slow down and then we could breathe.

All the passengers who were there were shot, "said the witness.

According to Latam Airlines, both the passengers and the crew arrived in Paraguay in good physical condition and were immediately attended to by ground personnel.

"The weather conditions encountered during the route impacted the operation and caused external damage to the aircraft," the company said.

The president of the Directorate of Civil Aeronautics of Paraguay, Félix Kanazawa, assured that "the plane landed without an engine and with tears in the windshield," reported AFP, although he specified that "this type of aircraft is prepared to fly with a single engine. ”.

"Its front part was destroyed," added the director of Airports, Douglas Cubilla.

The airline highlights in a recently released statement that the events related to flight safety are considered "serious" and that "in accordance with aeronautical regulations, LATAM Airlines Paraguay is collaborating with the investigation that the competent authorities are developing into the incident. ”, referring to the investigation opened by the National Directorate of Civil Aeronautics of Paraguay to investigate what happened.

According to the General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Chile (DGAC), which will collaborate in the investigation, the protocols established for the safety of the crew and all passengers were applied during the landing.

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