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Emergency services have treated at least 50 people following an incident during a flight from Sydney to Auckland.
Flight LA800, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, had a “technical event” during the flight on Tuesday, which caused a “strong movement”, LATAM Airlines said in a statement on Monday afternoon. It did provide further details on the incident.
“The plane landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled,” LATAM airlines said in a statement.
The flight normally stops in Auckland en route to Santiago, Chile.
New Zealand ambulance service Hato Hone St John said in a statement that roughly 50 people were treated at the airport.
There have been differing accounts on the number of people taken to hospital.
LATAM airlines said seven passengers and three cabin crew members were taken to Middlemore Hospital in Auckland with minor injuries.
A Hato Hone St John spokesperson also said 10 people were taken to hospital, and that one patient was in a serious condition.
But a spokesperson from Counties Manukau District Health Board, which manages Middlemore Hospital, told SBS News on Monday evening six patients had been taken there with “mild to moderate injuries” including cuts, abrasions and lacerations and were being triaged.
The spokesperson could not explain why the figures differed.
The Hato Hone St John spokesperson said another patient was transported to Auckland City Hospital, while another was transferred to Starship Hospital. Both were in “moderate” conditions.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) could not confirm if any Australians were on board the flight, nor if any had been treated for injuries.
A DFAT spokesperson said Australian officials were in contact with New Zealand authorities, but provided few other details because of “privacy obligations”.
“Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials stand ready to offer consular assistance to any Australian citizen, should they request it,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Hato Hone St John spokesperson could not confirm whether any Australians had been treated at the airport, or taken to hospital.
They said seven ambulances attended Auckland Airport, along with two operations managers, one major incident support vehicles, one command unit and two rapid response vehicles.
LATAM Airlines, a South American airline, said it “deeply regrets any inconvenience and discomfort this situation may have caused its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards”.
A new flight, LA1130, has been scheduled for Tuesday evening, bound for Santiago. The airline said it is providing affected passengers with food and accommodation.
SBS News has contacted LATAM Airlines for comment.
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