Turbulence injures 30 on flight from Istanbul to New York

SEVERE TURBULENCE injured at least 30 people aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul that landed safely at New York’s Kennedy International Airport on Saturday afternoon, officials said.

Spokesman Steve Coleman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told The Associated Press that 28 people were taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center after the plane landed at 5:35 p.m. One had a broken leg and others suffered bumps, bruises and cuts.

Coleman said most of the passengers and some crew members were treated inside an airport terminal.

Turkish Airlines Flight 1 encountered the turbulence about 45 minutes before landing at JFK, Coleman said.

The Port Authority spokesman said other airport operations were not affected.

An emergency was declared after the Boeing 777 landed, with a dozen ambulances waiting at Terminal 1, but the Fire Department of New York said none of the injuries were life-threatening.

The plane was carrying more than 300 passengers and crew members. Turkish Airlines officials were not immediately available for comment.

It was the second mishap involving a plane in the New York metropolitan area.

Earlier Saturday, Newark Airport temporarily closed its runways after a flight from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale made an emergency landing with smoke in its cargo hold.

The National Weather Service had issued advisories on Saturday warning pilots of expected turbulence.