Extreme turbulence injured dozens of people, 11 of them seriously, on a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to Honolulu, Hawaii. “We are happy that everyone is going to survive,” said Dr Jim Ireland of the emergency services in Hawaii to Reuters news agency.

There were 238 passengers and 10 crew members on board the Hawaiian Airlines plane. The extreme turbulence happened at an altitude of 11,000 meters. As a result, some passengers were thrown from seats in the Airbus A330-243.

“It was one of the most turbulent flights I’ve ever been on,” Miriam van der Linden, one of the passengers, told CBS. “We travel a lot, so we’re used to it. We weren’t terrified. We were more concerned that we would get sick and throw up.”

Photos of the inside of the plane show dents and cracks in the ceiling. The passengers suffered head injuries, bruises and cuts, and some became unconscious. No one sustained life-threatening injuries.

The plane landed at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport around 11 a.m. local time yesterday. Medical personnel attended to the injured passengers and crew. About 20 people were hospitalized. 11 were in serious condition, but none of the injured was in critical condition.

“We are very happy that everyone is going to survive,” said Dr Jim Ireland of the emergency services in Hawaii to Reuters news agency. “There were no fatalities, and I hope everyone will be able to leave the hospital soon. So that they can be reunited with their families or continue their possible holiday.”