About ten passengers had to be rushed to hospital on Sunday after they began bleeding from their noses and ears mid-flight due to a pressure problem on the Delta plane, forcing the plane to land immediately.
“I grabbed my ear and pulled my hand away, and there was blood on it,” one of the injured passengers, Jaci Purser, told KSLTV on Tuesday.
The woman was on board a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-900 from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Portland, Oregon, on Sunday when she reportedly felt excruciating pain in her ear that felt like she was being stabbed, she told the US media.
Then she felt her ear burst, before making bubbles. The same story from the husband of another passenger, Caryn Allen, who suddenly leaned forward holding his ears, she told KSLTV.
“I looked about a row behind me, across the aisle, and there was a man who clearly had a really bad nosebleed and people were trying to help him,” she reportedly continued.
It was then that the pilot reportedly announced that the plane would turn around to return to Salt Lake City with the 140 passengers on board, given the circumstances.
In a statement, the airline confirmed that it had experienced problems with the aircraft’s pressure, without explaining the causes further.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on Flight 1203 on September 15. The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC where our ground teams supported our customers with their immediate needs,” Delta Air Lines reportedly stressed, according to the American media.
The ten passengers injured in this incident were reportedly taken to a hospital for treatment.
There, Jaci Purser was reportedly diagnosed with a ruptured eardrum.
“I feel like I’m underwater when I talk. My hearing is really bad right now,” said the woman, who was reportedly given antibiotics to prevent infections, as well as steroids, decongestants and a nasal spray.
For its part, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the opening of an investigation into this incident.
