Air turbulence leaves 27 aboard Aeroflot flight injured

May 1 (UPI) -- At least 27 people were injured when an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok encountered severe turbulence as it arrived, the Russian Embassy in Bangkok said.

The Boeing 777 struck an air pocket, described as an "air hole" in the embassy statement, 40 minutes before landing as it neared Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Passengers reported about 10 seconds of chaos aboard the aircraft, with many passengers not wearing safety belts at the time of the incident. CNN reported passengers struck their heads on overhead compartments.

An Aeroflot statement said "clear sky turbulence" is hard to predict, and was the reason passengers were not advised to return to their seats and employ their safety belts.

While the embassy announced that 24 Russians and three Thais were injured, a statement from the Russian Health Ministry said 15 people, including one child, were admitted to a Bangkok hospital, and nine others, including four children, received outpatient medical care. It added that none of those hurt sustained life-threatening injuries.