Nearly five minutes of severe turbulence injured 17 people on board an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Wednesday, adding that investigators are analysing the aircraft's flight recorders to establish what happened.
The minister, who visited the injured crew members in hospital, said, "passengers recalled turbulence lasting for about four to five minutes. It was during that period that they faced the injuries and difficulties inside the aircraft".
He added that doctors have advised continued observation for some of the injured crew members after they sustained injuries near the neck and tailbone.