Officials have confirmed reports that an aircraft headed for Canada from Shanghai was forced to make an emergency landing after severe turbulence injured 21 passengers, as well as three children.

The Air Canada flight bound for Toronto was rerouted to Calgary following a turbulent situation on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 15:23 MT (17:23 ET). Reports indicate that 21 passengers were affected: eight complained of neck and back injuries, while the rest were taken to a medical facility for observation. But generally, all were in a stable condition. The children injured in the incident were teenagers.

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The passengers described the trip as a "very unsettling experience," Air Canada's chief operating officer Klaus Goersch said. There were a total of 332 passengers and 19 cabin crew members onboard the Boeing 777-300ER flight AC088 that made an emergency landing at Calgary on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, some of the passengers recalled their experience. Several said that about two hours after take off, the captain warned that they are headed to an area with increased turbulence. But the bump's strength came as a surprise, leading the aircarft to a sudden descent. One passenger claimed that before finally deciding to land at Calgary, they initially planned to head to Edmonton.

Some described the trip as a roller coaster ride with blankets and other stuff flying off the air and oxygen masks in the overhead dropping down. Apparently, no medical doctor was onboard. But periodontist Suzanne Caudry as well as nurses and cabin crews immediately responded and  treated passengers who suffered from injuries after the waves of turbulence.

"Suddenly the flight is just going down and everything is really scary. The girl sitting next to me, she was sleeping and she just fly up (to the ceiling)," Linda He said. 

"Safety is always our first priority and so any incident involving the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost concern," Goersch said. He further acknowledged crew members onboard the flight whose professionalism during the incident was praised by passengers. He went on to thank the ground station personnel in Calgary for immediately and professionally responding to the situation. 

"We are grateful that the first passengers are already being released from the hospital," he said. The airline company has promised to fully cooperate with the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) in its investigation into the matter. The TSB has requested for the plane's black box and will interview the staff. On Wednesday night, some of the passengers took another flight bound for Toronto.

Tagsair canada, Calgary, emergency landing